Tempus Inconcessus
by Heaven-Hell
Summary: Harry loses his best friend and will do anything to get him back. By performing a forbidden spell, he is taken right into the clutches of the Dark Lord. Harry must now live in the past and endure the agony of sharing a room with Tom Riddle.SLASH YAOI HPTR
1. Prologue

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Prologue_

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Harry Potter. That honor belongs to J.K Rowling, and nobody else…except God…and Jesus…and Buddha…and Zeus…and…other people who aren't me, and that's why life sucks.

**Warning:**This story is a slash, or yaoi, or shounen-ai, or whatever want to call it. In plainer terms, that means that it's guy/guy relationships. If you don't like it then be gone with you! I only kid, you can read it if you want. Like I always say "Curiosity killed the person who wasn't curious…"

**Author's Note:** Hello and welcome to my story! This is my first Harry Potter fic, but don't be discouraged about that! Give it a chance and hopefully you will like it. And if you like it enough, you just might review which would make me the happiest person in the world! That's it for now and I hope you enjoy this as much as I did writing it.

**Edit: **I was rereading this story and found so many spelling and grammatical errors which made me feel really ashamed so I fixed 'em all and I'm going to be doing that for the rest of the chapters as well. Also, I wrote this before the 7th book came out which is why Ravenclaw's horcrux isn't a diadem.

* * *

The streets were empty, only air occupying their spaces. The only souls there were that of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The cover of night and new moon blocked them from sight from anyone who may be looking, saving them from having to be tightly cramped between the Invisibility Cloak. The three friends were nearing the end of the street that read "Spinner's End". They stood in front of an old abandoned home. Paint was peeling of, the glass from windows were cracked or completely broken, and the unused door creaked loudly when they entered.

Inside the house was darkness, no moon to guide their way. They couldn't even see the wands they held so each muttered "Lumos" and their wands emitted a glow big enough to see where they were going. Their wands revealed dusty furniture, forgotten portraits, and scattered clothing, proof that this place had been a home to someone; home to Snape.

These items may have been of some value, probably worth a couple galleons, but this was not why Harry was there. He was in his professor's home for something of far greater importance: an ancient relic of Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the four founders of Hogwarts.

The relic itself was an important artifact, especially for the wizarding world. Yet, Harry wasn't there to actually steal the relic. He wanted what was inside of it. Ravenclaw's artifact was a horcrux, an object that holds a soul. And the soul it contained was that of the Dark Lord Voldemort. Harry's venture into this abandoned place was to find it and destroy it, thereby destroying a part of Voldemort himself.

Shards of glass crushed beneath their feet, and Harry nearly lost his balance over something on the floor. He aimed his wand at it, revealing the something to be an old figurine of a dementor. Just the sight of it made Harry shiver in fear. Even though he could easily defeat them, the memory of their kiss draining his joy still haunted him.

Typical that Snape would have had an action figure version of one. He kicked it aside and followed Hermione's and Ron's glowing wands. No one spoke, there was no need to. Silence was their only comfort at the moment, that and their light.

They reached a room that contained a lone piano. There was a pair of drapes as well, probably covering a broken window. Besides the dusty piano, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. There was one sheet of paper on the piano. It was piano music, it read "Horrid Crucifix" and below the title were the notes on how to play the song.

The three friends looked at one another, hoping that the other had any sort of musical knowledge. Hermione was the one who trekked towards the instrument, even though she had no idea on what to do. She had never learned the piano or any instrument in fact. She thought it would have interfered with her studies.

She took her seat on the piano bench and blew away the dust from the keys. That action was quickly regretted when the years of accumulating dust flew up her nose. Her face contorted, as if about to sneeze, but a quick muttering of "Silencio" stopped any sound from coming out. She let out a silent sneeze and lifted the charm from herself. They did not want to be found.

Hermione looked at the sheet music, half expecting it to become understandable, but it wasn't. If anything, it was nearly impossible for _anyone_ to understand it because the musical notes were moving around the page. In an attempt to stop them, Hermione quietly muttered "Immobulus". The notes froze on the page, but started to dance around again not long after. Hermione threw her hands on the piano keys in defeat causing a screeching cacophony of sound to burst from the aged instrument.

Hermione silenced it and mouthed a sorry for the sudden noise. Ron was pointing at the music with his wand and motioned for them to look at it. When they looked, they saw that some of the notes were neatly place in the center of the page, but soon started scattering away.

Harry moved towards the piano and gently hit one key. One of the notes flew straight to the center and stayed there for about a second. He silenced the piano and slid his hand from one end to the other. One by one, the notes flew to a spot on the sheet music, and before they could scatter, an image had formed.

The notes created a simple arrow. Everyone looked in the direction of what the arrow was pointing at, and found their selves staring at the only other thing in the room: the drapes that had gone unnoticed.

Ron was the first to reach and pull open the dark drapes only to find a cement wall behind it. Ron, thinking it was an illusion, tried to walk through it, like platform 9 3/4 at the Hogwarts Express. Yet his body only made contact with the cement.

Hermione and Ron stared at the empty wall, trying to figure out what to do, if anything was to even be done to it, but their minds drew up a blank. Harry had gone back to the first room and returned with a shard of glass in his hand. He slowly pressed it against his palm until blood oozed out. With that blood, Harry rubbed his palm against the empty wall.

The wall absorbed the blood and began to fade. Harry impatiently passed through the fading wall before it could completely disappear, and his friends followed. They were descending down stairs, their wands lighting their way, and now felt safe enough to talk.

"How'd you know to do that?" Ron's voice squeaked after not being used for what felt like an eternity.

All Harry said was "Dumbledore…" and Ron fell quiet. The memory of their old Headmaster pained them, so neither spoke again until they reached the bottom.

Hermione saw that Harry's hand was still bleeding so she created a bandage with "Ferula" and wrapped it around Harry's wound. They now stood before a wooden door, and a sign sat beside it. Harry tried to read it, but it was written in mysterious symbols or some unknown language.

He didn't want to even try to decipher it, so he beckoned for Hermione. She looked closely at the symbols, thinking back to her Ancient Runes class.

"It says, 'Don't look, don't peek, or you'll stop yourself from what you seek.'" Hermione shrugged her shoulders when Harry and Ron gave her confused glances. They readied themselves in front of the door, not sure what to expect on the other side.

On the other side was a room filled with body-sized mirrors each in a different shape or frame. Some made the looker appear taller, shorter, fatter, skinnier, distorted, dead, and other things. Harry, Ron, and Hermione cautiously moved into the room, not sure of where to go next.

Ron was busy staring at himself in a mirror that made him look muscular. His chiseled chest and mammoth biceps moved in sync with his body. He flexed his arms so his reflection would do the same. Once he was finished gawking at his improved self, Ron turned his attention to another mirror that made his face looked distorted.

Body parts were placed on the wrong spot, and his hair was blond. Ron quickly looked away, not really liking what he just saw. Hermione and Harry, on the other hand, were actually searching for some sign of the horcrux. But all they found were more disfigured mirrors.

Ron was staring at one of his reflections, trying to find something out of the ordinary. But this mirror only portrayed an actually image of himself. There was nothing wrong with it, so Ron got bored and moved on to another one, but the reflection remained, its eyes following him. Ron's reflection started to move on its own out of the mirror. Ron was busy staring at his muscled self again when he saw two reflections in his mirror. He thought that it was only a trick of the mirror but quickly changed his mind when he found himself being strangled by another him.

Ron tried to call out for help, but he couldn't even breathe. His wand was still in his hand, but he couldn't say any spells. So he resorted to flailing around like crazy.

Hermione came running yelling. "Don't look at the mirrors!" Always a little late with the information, she noticed Ron's struggle with himself. "Stupefy!" She aimed her wand at the imposter. A stream of red light shot from her wand and made contact with Ron's reflection, knocking him down to the floor.

"Are you alright?" She asked. Ron didn't make a sound, or movement, or even blink. Hermione waved her wand over Ron and said "Ennervate". Ron immediately rose to his feet, now cured from the stun spell.

"Thanks" he muttered, catching his breath. "Where's Harry?"

Hermione opened her mouth, about to answer, but she just remembered that she had left him alone at the end of the hall. She dragged Ron, and ran towards Harry.

The young wizard was just casting a stun spell on his reflection when Hermione and Ron came running. "What's going on?" he said out of breath, his doppelganger stunned on the floor.

"The sign said not to look at ourselves which means that this room of mirrors was put here to prevent us from getting further. The only way to get passed here would be to close our eyes, but then we wouldn't be able to know where we're going."

"We don't even know where to go with our eyes open!" Ron added. "There's got to be another way."

Harry closed his eyes, to hide from the mirrors and to think about what to do. He raised his wand, opened his eyes, and said "Reducto!" The mirror in front of him shattered into pieces leaving nothing but a frame.

Ron and Hermione caught on and started doing the same to the mirrors. Each mirror was destroyed, some reflections silently screaming as they shattered to the ground. Ron hesitated a bit when he came to the muscled mirror, but as soon as it started to move of its own accord, he reflexively smashed with it with his foot.

Only one mirror stood, but this one had no reflection. When Harry stood in front of it, the glass was all he could see. He raised his wand and shattered it, revealing a pathway that went further down.

The path had darkened, so they lit their wands again to guide them. The path went deeper and deeper underground. Who knew who far underground they were? It felt like walking into an endless abyss.

The walls around them seemed to expand, moving wider and wider apart until they reached a vast room. A single pillar of light flowed from nowhere to the room's center. Nothing else could be seen except for the item that glittered in the light.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved towards the light, already knowing what lied beneath it.

Rowena Ravenclaw's mirror. It was handheld, had a silver-blue frame, and the Ravenclaw insignia was carved into the handle. The owner of the mirror was not only known for her intelligence, but for her beauty as well so her relic being a mirror was not all that surprising. Now, all that was left was to destroy it.

Ravenclaw's mirror was hovering over a silver pedestal, and Harry was reaching for it, but Hermione slapped his hand away.

"Don't! This is too easy, it's probably cursed" Hermione's reasoning was right, but Harry didn't want to just stand there and think, being so close to Voldemort's soul.

"I don't care! I have to destroy the mirror!" Harry reached for it again, but Hermione persistently slapped his hand away.

"But if something happens to you, then who is going to defeat Voldemort?" she yelled, making Ron shudder at the Dark Lord's name. Harry tried to think of something to say, but he couldn't. She was right, as always, and he couldn't danger himself like that.

"I'll do it" Ron stood straight and tall now, Gryffindor courage shining brightly from him. Hermione and Harry would have protested, but knew that it was the only option they had. They nodded in agreement, and took a couple of steps back in case the mirror did have a curse.

Ron reached for the mirror's handle, hand trembling. His hand gripped it, his eyes clenched shut, and he waited for something to happen, anything. But nothing did. He opened one eye to see if he was still alive, and everything seemed to be fine. Behind him, Hermione and Harry's sighs of relief brought him comfort and he pulled the mirror away from the light.

As soon as he did this the light faded, bringing nothing but darkness. No one could see anything or anyone. Ron was still holding the mirror, Hermione and Harry were desperately searching for their wands, yet Ron was the only one who had his out. He stuttered a "Lumos" and a glow of warmth filled him as soon as there was light.

Harry and Hermione had drifted from one another in the darkness, but they could clearly see Ron's wand in the center of the room. They started to follow the light in order to get to Ron.

Ron, in his fright, looked into the mirror, uneasily looking at the reflection of himself because of the room before. Suddenly, his reflection turned into a gaunt, snake-like demeanor creature with gray skin and eyes like a serpent. Ron realized that he was looking directly into the serpent eyes of Lord Voldemort. He dropped the mirror in fear and called out for his searching friends.

The mirror landed with a loud crash. It had broken. Harry and Hermione found their wands and summoned light. Ron was on the floor, trembling in fear. In front of him stood the Dark Lord himself, an evil grin plastered on his face. He raised his wand, and pointed at the red haired teen.

Hermione let out a high pitched scream, tears falling from her eyes at the sight. Harry was sprinting now towards Ron, not knowing or caring what he was going to do to save his friend. But as he drew closer, Voldemort said in a clear loud voice.

"Avada Kedavra!" A bright green light filled the room, and then everything went dark.

* * *

Harry woke up at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. His head ached and his body was completely paralyzed. He suddenly felt like throwing up, but in his present state, that seemed impossible. Footsteps were walking towards him, but he couldn't see whose they were.

He couldn't see anything at all except for the blinding lights of the hospital. "Harry? Are you awake?" It was Hermione, worry obvious in her voice.

Harry attempted to answer her, but he couldn't open his mouth. Hermione's face came into view; her eyes were red from crying. She saw Harry's open eyes and threw herself onto the young wizard. Her head was buried in his chest, and she was shaking uncontrollably. When she looked back up, her face was stained with more tears and her nose was puffed up. "You're okay," she said between sobs. Her wand was raised and she muttered something.

Harry suddenly felt a lot lighter, and bolted straight up from the bed he was. "What happened?"

"You were shaking in your sleep, and the doctors tried to hold you down, but they couldn't…So I stunned you…" Hermione explained.

"Not that..." Harry was remembering what happened back in Snape's home. His memories were scattered, only able to recall darkness, light, and a flash of green. "Where's Ron?" Harry loudly asked as soon as he remembered.

Hermione hesitated before answering, fresh tears forming in her eyes. "Voldemort came out of the mirror and-"

"Where's Ron?" Harry interrupted but Hermione ignored him.

"—and then Snape came and fought with Voldemort-"

"Where's Ron?" Harry's voice was getting louder.

"—Voldemort used Crucio on him until he lied on the floor and-"

"WHERE'S RON!" Harry shouted, frightening Hermione.

"He—Volde—the mirr—he's dead!" And Hermione burst into more tears. "Voldemort killed him…" She rubbed her eyes, hoping that she would wipe all the tears away, but more just kept on falling from her bloodshot eyes. She threw herself on Harry again, only this time, he was able to comfort her. He rubbed her back absentmindedly, thinking more about what she just told him.

'_Ron…? He's…dead? No…he can't be. It's not true! No! This is my fault! No!' _"NO!" Harry yelled suddenly. Harry pushed the covers from him and stormed out of the hospital room, but immediately wished he hadn't.

Mrs. Weasly, Mr. Weasly, Ginny, Fred, George, the entire Weasly family were outside, crying their eyes out. Most muttering something about Ron and how they never said I love you enough, and how they'll never see him again. Harry walked back into his room, unnoticed, to where Hermione was still crying on his bed.

"Tell me…" Hermione turned to Harry, whose voice was steady and forced. "Tell me how to get him back."

"I-I don't know." Hermione responded, not sure if Harry was addressing her or not.

"Yes you do! You know everything, and you know how to get Ron back!"

"I can't let you!"

"Tell me!" Harry was screaming at her, eyes full of rage. Harry noticed his anger, and tried to control it. He didn't want to be mad at Hermione, especially since Ron was…he didn't want to think about it. He just wanted a way to get him back. Harry took in deep breaths and started to calm down. "Please, Hermione. Just tell me how to get Ron back"

"But it's extremely difficult, and what if something happens to you or-"

"I don't care about myself, I just want to get Ron back" Harry was getting irritated that she wouldn't tell him.

Hermione gave up trying to convince Harry, and decided to tell him, even if the risks were incredibly great.


	2. Hogwarts

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 1 – Hogwarts_

**Disclaimer: **I wish I owned Harry Potter, but alas, the world is not so kind. Tis a sad day when a boy discovers he does not own that which he loves so. I pity thee so pity me…thy…thou…? I confused myself…eth.

**Warning: **So let's see, for one, this is a slash. If you don't know what that is, that means that this story has guy on guy relationships. If you don't like that, then something is terribly wrong with you.

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone who review. I love you all! You guys rock and if I could, I would marry you all! But sadly, that's illegal over here and some of you are of the opposite sex. Therefore…no marriage proposals right now. How about I give you all a cookie? But not just any ordinary old cookie! But a cookie with…chocolate chips! But not just any ordinary chocolate chips. Chocolate chips made from chocolate! Shocking, I know! I hope you're happy with your cookies! Happy enough to review!

Feather from a newborn phoenix.

'_Fawkes was more than helpful.'_

An ogres tooth, soaked in your owl's blood.

'_Sorry Hedwig, but I need to save Ron.'_

A unicorn's horn hollowed and filled with wolf bane.

'_Thanks Remus.'_

Hair from a centaur's tail.

'_Easier said than done, but done none the less.'_

A mermaid's voice.

'_Safe in Hermione's invention.'_

Eyes from a dementor's victim.

'_Azkaban was the best place to get one.'_

Finally, an item from a dead family member.

'_My father's invisibility cloak should work just fine.'_

Harry put the last of the ingredients into his cauldron. He had gained permission from Professor McGonagall to use the Headmaster's office. At first she argued with the young wizard, not wanting him to attempt such a powerful spell, but knowing that Harry wouldn't listen, she relented in the end and allowed him the use of her tragically obtained office.

Hermione had read about a spell in one of the forbidden books in the library. She told Harry about the 'Tempus Inconcessus', a spell that allows the caster to go back in time. When Harry heard about it, his first thoughts were to go back to when his parents were murdered and destroy Voldemort right then and there. But there was a catch to the time spell. The caster would not be able to leave whatever time period they were in, trapping them there until they reached the time they were in before. Any hope of saving his parents was lost, but there was still hope for Ron.

The incident with Ron didn't occur too long ago, so repeating a couple of days wouldn't have been so bad as long as Ron didn't die in Spinner's End.

Harry watched as the contents of his cauldron bubbled and stared at the rising smoke that morphed into different shapes. With the tip of his wand, Harry stirred it clockwise three times and then counterclockwise once, and repeated those instructions five more times. The cauldron's contents were glowing a menacing green, the same shade as the killing curse.

He inhaled the smoke and held in a cough, his lungs burning, a sign that his potion was mixed correctly. He concentrated hard on the time he wanted to reach. _'To when I can save Ron' _Harry kept on repeating that in his mind, trying to not think of anything else. This is what made the 'Tempus Inconcessus' so difficult.

It is human nature to want to repeat something that goes wrong from something as little as an answer on a test to something time-changing as saving a life. Concentrating on one specific time to repeat was difficult because there are so many things that people want to change.

Hermione said that this spell had only been performed twice. Once by Dumbledore and the other time by Voldemort, both not going further than just a few of hours. So what Harry was about to do would be legendary. That is if he survives. The final reason why only two wizards had attempted the Tempus Inconcessus was you had to remain true to your intention for going back otherwise you'd decay in the process.

Voldemort had gone back in time in order to steal Ravenclaw's mirror. He could have killed the person who had it and taken it like that, but the person who owned it was the sole heir to Rowena Ravenclaw. And if the Ravenclaw lineage was destroyed, then the enchantment that Ravenclaw placed on her mirror would disappear.

Her mirror had been endowed with the power of illusion only showing what people wanted to see, but it could also be used to see _through_ illusions; the ability to see things that are invisible, in another form, or not even real. This power appealed to Lord Voldemort, so he had no intention of killing Ravenclaw's heir.

As a consolation, the heir of Slytherin stayed true to his intentions which were to steal the mirror. Dumbledore had similar reason to go back in time.

Fawkes had been returning the sorting hat from the Chamber of Secrets when he suddenly erupted into flames, burning the sorting hat in the process. When Dumbledore found out, the hat was burned beyond repair and could not even be restored with magic since it was scorched by a phoenix's fire.

The old headmaster had all the ingredients necessary in his office and used the 'Tempus Inconcessus' to save the relic of Godric Gryffindor, the sorting hat. His intentions were to save the hat, and he was able to retrieve it before Fawkes self-combusted.

Both were powerful wizards who performed the time spell with ease. Harry on the other hand wasn't as experienced, but that didn't matter to him. As long as he could save his best friend's life, nothing else mattered. All he needed to do was stay true to his intentions. "I am going to save Ron's life, or let mine be lost if I fail." He said in a loud and clear voice. The cauldron turned to the shade of blood now. According to Hermione, he had to say the incantation now.

"Tergum in vicis muto preteritus. Nex exsisto meus tantum via sicco si ego deficio. Tempus Inconcessus!" In translation, Harry said, "Back in time to change the past. Death be my only way out if I fail. Forbidden Time!"

The cauldron started to shake and Harry kept on repeating the spell with his eyes closed. Blood-like contents erupted from the cauldron and swirled around the room. Spirits of those who failed to complete the Tempus were caught in the vortex, but Harry continued to concentrate all of his power into the spell. The scar on his forehead started to burn. At first like a small itch, but it soon turned into a feeling that the inside of his mind was going to explode. He ignored the agonizing pain, and continued to repeat the words.

Faster and faster the vortex began to swirl around Harry. Flashes of crimson light shot out everywhere some of it escaping beneath the Headmaster's door into the hallway. Harry felt himself becoming lighter as he was levitated into the air, still chanting the spell.

Ron could be clearly seen in his mind, and thoughts of being able to save him gave him hope that the spell was going to work. Memories that had been long forgotten fought their way back into his mind. Of the little times he was happy with the Dursley's. When he first met Ron and Hermione in his first year at Hogwarts. And his parents.

For the smallest of moments, Harry gave thought to go back to his parents. He didn't care if couldn't go back to his own time, as long as he was with his parents. Yet the true task unveiled itself again as he opened his eyes. In front of him was an image of Ron, hovering in the center of the vortex.

This was it. Harry floated over towards his best friend, extending his hand to grab his friend only for it to phase right through him. Every spirit had grown silent and they stopped in place. The crimson light surrounding them ceased and everything suddenly went dark.

Footsteps were running everywhere and people were singing. Candles hovered in the air by magic. And the endless sound of children's laughter filled the corridors. Harry slowly opened his eyes, his body aching all over and his head throbbing with pain.

The songs that would normally put Harry into a holiday spirit were now only making the scar on his forehead ache. Pushing his hands against the hard surface he was on, Harry lifted his head to see where he was. The room he was in was dark and he couldn't find his wand. He looked for a light switch but couldn't find one. Suddenly, the door swung open. Someone muttered something and the whole room filled with light.

Harry's eyes squinted at the sudden brightness, but when they got used to it, he could see that he was back in Dumbledore's office, still sitting at his desk. Papers were scattered all over and a bottle of ink was left open with a quill still inside. Harry glanced over at the person who came inside, and saw a tall, gray-haired man standing in the doorway.

Harry saw a brass nameplate on the desk that read: Armando Dippet. Harry stared at the old man coming towards him, having the sense that he's seen him before. His eyes were wide with confusion and Harry started to back away from the approaching man.

"Do I know you?" The man's voice was strong and clear, and a bit intimidating to the young wizard. Harry rapidly shook his head. "Strange because I know everyone in my school." He beamed a smile.

"Your school, um…sir?"

"Armando Dippet, young lad, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He seemed proud of the title that he had.

"But Professor Dumbledore is the headmaster…" Harry's head started to ache again.

"I dare say not" he said a bit offended. "He's a great wizard and all, and the best Transfigurations teacher this school has ever known, but he is no Headmaster." Dippet crossed his arms and burrowed his brow. "Maybe one day he will be…but not while I'm around." He gave Harry a wink.

Harry just remembered where he had seen this man. In Tom Riddle's diary! He had seen Tom arguing with him about staying at the school over the summer holidays, but he couldn't because of events that occurred when the Chamber of Secrets was opened. But that happened in the past, around the 1940's if he could recall.

"Excuse me, sir—"

"Please, call me Professor Dippet"

"Okay, Professor Dippet. If you don't mind my asking…What year is this?"

Dippet gave him a questionable look before answering. "Why, my dear boy, this is the year 1943." Harry started to breath heavily, not sure that he heard correctly.

"Are you alright, boy?" The room began to spin as if the spell returned and Harry fell back, unconscious.

"How's the young lad doing?"

"It seems he only fainted" a soft caring voice replied.

"My word, what's that on his forehead?" It was Professor Dippet's voice.

"Looks like some sort of scar" Harry could feel soft fingers touching his forehead and his eyes shot wide open. "Oh my! Is that area sensitive, dear?"

Harry looked around the room. Not one face seemed familiar except for that of Professor Dippet. There was a lady dressed in white who looked like a nurse, and judging by the bed he was in, Harry was in the hospital wing of Hogwarts. A crowd of people had swarmed around his bedside, giving him looks of confusion and fascination.

"My dear boy, how are you feeling?" The nurse's name tag read Sedo. This made sense, since she sent out a sort of calming aura expected of a nurse.

"I'm fine, thank you." Harry pulled the covers from his body and tried to stand up, but the nurse held him down.

"Dear, you should rest a while longer." It was strange how Harry had no problem listening to her. Her actions were more maternal than professional. She pulled out her wand and muttered something that Harry couldn't understand. A warm sensation flowed through him, calming any nerves that were tense. He felt relieved, but wasn't sure from what.

"Thank you, Irene, that will be all for now." Professor Dippet waved Ms. Sedo off along with the rest of the room. Once everyone left, Professor Dippet took a seat next to Harry's bed. "Young lad, what is your name?"

"Harry Potter, si—Professor Dippet." Harry lifted himself so that he was sitting and his back was leaning against the behind wall.

"Where did you get that scar?" Dippet pointed at Harry's forehead, but the young wizard didn't need to be told what scar he was referring to.

"Lord Voldemort gave it to me…" Harry shuddered at the name, something he shouldn't have done because it only raised an eyebrow from the headmaster. "He was this powerful wizard."

"Was?"

"Is…"

"Well, if this-Lord Voldemort was it-if he is such a powerful wizard, how is it that I have never heard of him?" This is what Harry had wanted to avoid. How could he explain who Voldemort was or that he wasn't even from this time?

"You see, Professor, I'm not from—"

"—you performed the Tempus Inconcessus didn't you?" Dippet was oddly serious. Something Harry hadn't seen since he first arrived here. Harry nodded, but didn't look at Dippet directly. The old headmaster let out a sigh and rubbed his temples. "Oh my, oh my my my my. Nurse Sedo!" Dippet yelled to the other room where the nurse stuck out her head. "Could you please fetch Professor Dumbledore?" Nurse Sedo nodded her head and skidded off to Dumbledore's chambers.

"Harry, was it? That spell is forbidden and should never be cast. Why it was created, I haven't the foggiest. All I know is that nothing good ever comes out of that spell."

"What do you mean? I thought that only two people have ever done the spell?"

"My dear boy, this spell is forbidden. So of course nobody is going to claim that they cast it. Those two who used the spell in your time probably had some sort of witness or documentation for future references. I'm guessing that Professor Dumbledore was one of the two?" Harry was surprised that the old headmaster had figured that out. "And the other is this Voldemort person you spoke of earlier?" Once again, Harry's eyes widened with shock of this aging man's intuition. Harry nodded his head, but Dippet seemed to have already known the answer. "Why so surprised? I'm not as old I look!" Dippet put his hands on his hips and pointed his nose in the air. "I'm older." and a loud crack was soon heard. Next thing Harry knew, Professor Dippet was hunchbacked forward, rubbing his back in pain. "Nurse Sedo, could you come in here, please?"

The nurse entered and sighed when she saw the headmaster rubbing his spine.

"Not again. You should be more careful, Headmaster." She raised her wand and without saying anything, waved it over Dippet and walked out the room. The headmaster sat up straight now, grinning madly. It was hard to believe that he could have figured out the two strongest wizards of the future, but he wasn't as senile as he led on.

"Now, Mr. Potter, What was the intention you claimed when casting the spell?" Armando Dippet seemed to know a lot about the Tempus Inconcessus. Harry found it strange that somebody would know so much about a spell that was so forbidden.

"I was supposed to go back just far enough to save my friend, but—"

"—something went wrong and you ended up going too far back and landed here, correct?" Dumbledore had entered the room and was leaning against a nearby wall. The younger professor wasn't much different than the one Harry was accustomed to. The only great difference that he could find was that this Dumbledore had a much shorter beard, but it was as gray as it has always been.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry was relieved to see someone he knew, even if they didn't know him. "Please, you need to help me leave this time so I can save Ron."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Forgive me, but I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting before." Harry's world crashed. If anyone was to help him, he was sure that Dumbledore would be that person, but his old headmaster didn't even know who he was.

"No," Harry sighed, "I suppose not."

Dumbledore took a few steps toward Harry and offered him his hand with a friendly smile on his face. "Hello, my name is Albus Dumbledore. I'm Professor of Transfigurations here at Hogwarts."

Harry took his hand and shook it. "Harry Potter. I was a student at this school."

"Was? But you look so young" Dippet commented.

"Well, I'm only sixteen and I'll be turning seventeen soon."

"My boy, only 16 and the young boy already finished his schooling."

"Actually, I never finished school, I had to leave—"

"Never finished schooling? Why, that's preposterous! You should be in your 7th year right now. Lucky for you the school year is just starting." Dippet smiled triumphantly and suddenly jumped in the air. "Oh dear, I'll be right back" then he ran off, leaving Harry with Dumbledore.

"Professor," Harry caught Dumbledore's attention. "Do you know of any way for me to go forward in time to save my friend?"

"Harry, my boy, the Tempus Inconcessus is a powerful spell that should never be used. To think that a young wizard as yourself was able to perform it reveals much about the power you hold. And for some reason, the spell brought you to our time, hopefully with a reason that will help you with your intention."

"But how can I save my friend if he's more than fifty years in the future?" pleaded Harry.

"That, my dear boy, is what you must figure out on your own." Dumbledore has always been wise beyond his years. No matter what time period, he still somehow knew everything, but like in his time, Dumbledore still didn't tell Harry everything.

Professor Dippet waddled back into the room, carrying an old, dusty hat. Harry immediately recognized the hat as the one he wore on his first day at Hogwarts. "Sir, I already know which I house I belong to. I'm a Gryffindor." He was obviously proud with that fact.

"Well, then there should be no problem with the hat." Professor Dippet smiled and plopped it on Harry's head. It sprung to life and Harry was able to hear the hat's voice in his head like before, only it sounded more annoyed this time around.

"_I thought I was done sorting." _the hat complained in Harry's thoughts. _"Let's just get this over with, I'm really tired." _The sorting hat yawned singing the song Harry knew all the words to after hearing it for six years. When he was finished, the sorting hat spoke the words that Harry dreaded for the entire time he spent at Hogwarts.

"Slytherin!" The sorting hat yelled out so that the two professors could hear as well. Professor Dippet took the hat, gave it to Nurse Sedo, and told her to return it to his office.

"Well there you have it. Slytherin it is!" Dippet announced, congratulating Harry with a pat on the back.

"There must be some sort of mistake. I'm supposed to be in Gryffindor." Harry tried explaining to the Headmaster.

"I'm sorry, but the Sorting Hat is never wrong." Dippet folded his arms and bobbed his head. "Now, Professor Dumbledore," he turned to Dumbledore who seemed amused by the Sorting Hat's decision, "Please escort Mr. Potter to the Slytherin dungeons."

Dumbledore waited for Harry to get up, and seeing as how the professors weren't moving, Harry grudgingly pulled himself out of the hospital bed and followed his old Headmaster to the place he hated most.

Harry was following Dumbledore down a long flight of stairs, leading deeper and deeper into the bowels of Hogwarts. Lamps hung from the ceilings that emitted a menacing green glow. The walls had no pictures and represented that of a prison. Moisture was in the air, probably because they were under the lake.

"This was the path to the Slytherin chambers." Dumbledore stopped in front of a wall that was completely bare. Nothing was on it, not even the lines of bricks aligning. "Now, you should be aware that to enter a house, a password is needed. It will change from time to time so be aware of that." The aging wizard explained to Harry, just in case. "Parselmouth" Dumbledore said aloud, and the wall began to part. It opened like a sliding door and the inside was what Harry hadn't expected.

An embracing fire was lit in the fireplace of the common room which held what looked like velveteen chairs. The ceiling held many lights that filled the entire room, and what was probably the most prestigious art hung around the dormitory walls. To one side of the common room was a flight of the stairs that probably led to the girls' dormitories, and the other side led to the boys'. "This is where I part. An owl will be sent to you during breakfast, letting you know what your classes will be during your final year. Really was lucky that you arrived before the school year began. Classes should begin soon. Good night, Mr. Potter" Dumbledore waved him goodbye and left the room, closing the plain wall.

Harry let out a sigh "I don't see anything lucky about being here." Harry slumped over to one of the couches and sat on the soft pillow. Immediately, he was surrounded in an eternal softness that brought comfort. His eyelids were heavy and he was nearing sleep, but a small creak kept interrupting his dreams. Just when he thought he would fall into slumber, a creaking noise would awaken him.

Constantly hearing the _creak_ that wouldn't let him sleep, Harry struggled out of the fire's warmth and trailed the sound. Listening intently, the young wizard followed the creaking to the boys' dormitory. It was coming from a room where the door was slightly open. Harry peered through the small opening to see what was causing that constant creaking.

"C'mon, Tom, join us" A boy with long blond hair was standing shirtless in front of a bed. His pants were around his ankles and there were two legs spread apart in front of him. Sweat was dripping down his face, making his body glisten in the light. Grinning sort of madly, he moved his hips forward, and every time he did, the bed would creak and a moan would reach Harry's ears.

"Bugger off."

Harry took a chance and opened the door a little wider to see who had said that, and to his horror, he saw Tom Riddle hunched over a desk, scribbling something with a feather quill pen, and ignoring the two people on the bed. Harry could now see the two people clearly. The long haired blond was thrusting into a young, dark haired boy. His eyes would cringe whenever the blond thrust himself into him, but he couldn't help but release a moan when he did.

"Tom ungh! Get your ungh pretty butt over here!" The dark haired boy managed to say between thrusts. Harry heard Tom sigh before seeing him pull his robes off.

Tom dropped his robes where they landed and unzipped his pants. "Atta boy." The blond said over his shoulder. Tom ignored him and threw his pants over the chair he was sitting on.

"Let's just get this over with. I have studying to do."

The young, dark wizard crept towards the blond and wrapped his arms around him. Harry's cheeks flushed and his glasses began to fog up. Harry gulped and felt like he shouldn't be watching this scene unfold, but he could not look away.

Between the loud moans, droplets of sweat flying in the air, and grunts of dominance, Tom turned his gaze over at the door left ajar. His eyes met Harry's and a smirk formed on his lips. Harry's eyes opened wide and his hand tensed on the knob. Before anything else could occur, he closed the door with a small click and left as quickly as possible, the moans of the dark haired boy, long haired blond and Dark Lord, still fresh in his mind.

Harry quietly tiptoed back to the common room, trying to forget about what he just witnessed. But it was kind of hard to not think about your arch nemesis having a threesome with two other men. Not only was Harry feeling ill at the images, but he was also confused. How could anybody not know that the great and almighty Dark Lord was gay? Or maybe he wasn't. Harry just didn't know. The young wizard still had the notion that this was all some strange dream, and that he would awake any minute. He wanted to wake up to see Ron, laughing and telling jokes. He wanted to wake up to find him alive and that this whole ordeal never occurred. That he never went back in time, that he never found the horcrux and that Ron never died. It was because of that all of this was happening.

Harry collapsed on a soft couch and laid his head back on the cushioned exterior. Putting his glasses on the armrest, Harry closed his eyes and fell asleep, hoping to wake up and find Ron asleep in the bed beside him.

That's enough for now. I hope you all liked that! Those mysterious characters shall be introduced in the next chapter and don't even try to guess who they are, because you'll never get it! Trust me. But please review! I crave reviews because I'm starving!

**Edit: **Wow. I was 18 when I wrote this. I must've thought I was so cool with these "author's notes" but they just make me sound ridiculous. I'm not getting rid of them so I can have a reminder of just how lame I was at that age.


	3. Malfoy

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 2 – Malfoy_

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Harry Potter, so don't sue me.

**Warning: **This is where the story actually starts so you have been warned.

**Author's Note:**Sorry for the extremely late update! School's been hell, but now there's vacation! Woot! Please review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Magical light streamed from the ceiling, falling upon Harry's closed eyelids. They fluttered open and scanned the room for Ron. But he wasn't there. He looked around for anyone he recognized, but he was alone. The grandfather clock told 8 o'clock, meaning that Harry was alone. Everybody would have gone to breakfast, but the people he didn't know. The people that Harry had grown to despise since he arrived at Hogwarts. 

Upon a desk, lay folded robes and a note scribbled in Dumbledore's handwriting. Harry read it, wanting to find an answer on how to get home. Since last night, Harry had to realize that this was no dream or hallucination. This was real. And there was nothing he could do about it.

The note read:

_Dear Harry,_

_I have taken the liberty of bringing you some new robes, seeing as how the ones you are wearing are torn and of no more use. I'm sorry to say that you're time at Hogwarts will be long, considering that there is no solution on returning you to the time from whence you came. Your class schedule will be arriving at breakfast by owl. Also, supplies will be given to you in each of your classes such as books and ingredients for potions. Please put on the robes and head to the main hall as soon as you awake. And enjoy your time at Hogwarts. _

_Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore._

There were no signs of sympathy from what Harry could tell. It felt like his old headmaster was obligated to do these things. To help him and get him through this time period. The young wizard crumbled the note and threw it in a wastebasket. He unraveled the robes and nearly tore them apart as he saw them. Dumbledore had given him silver and green robes, with the crest of Slytherin stitched to the front. There was no way that Harry would even consider wearing this. The clothing of his enemy. But, Harry glanced at what he was wearing and found that Dumbledore's words were true. Harry didn't bother changing before casting the Tempus, so they were battered and torn. It was stained with something Harry didn't know and it was very unappealing. Then, taking another look at the Slytherin robes, Harry saw that he had no choice, but to wear them.

There was a shower in the Slytherin house, something that Harry didn't have when he was at Gryffindor. It was unfair that the worst people in the world got the best out of everything. He took a quick shower and changed into his new attire before heading out of the common room and into the halls of Hogwarts.

Harry found that the school hadn't changed in the past thirty years. It was as if some spell prevented it from changing. The only thing that Harry could find different was the moving portraits. Most of them, he didn't recognize, while others looked like younger versions of the ones from his time. The painting of the fat lady was still there, but she wasn't fat. She was quite beautiful actually, but wanted nothing to do with the strange seventh year that appeared from nowhere.

There were young Hufflepuffs, running up and down the moving stairs, until one of them tripped and hurt himself. A couple of Slytherins saw this and started laughing their tails off. A Gryffindor came in and defended the Hufflepuffs, while the Ravenclaw beauties admired him from afar.

Not even the houses changed. The stereotype of each house remained the same. Everyone was put into the house that they truly belonged to. With the people they belonged with, and the friends they should have. The system of the Sorting Hat was flawless and sorted everyone into their appropriate houses without complaints. So then, why wasn't Harry put into Gryffindor? There is no reason for him to be in Slytherin. Gryffindor was his home and always will be. There must have been some mistake, but Professor Dippet probably wouldn't listen to reason. He doesn't seem the type.

Harry opened the doors leading into the main hall, where breakfast was served. Everyone was already seated and was in the midst of conversation, but that all became silent as soon as Harry walked in. They all stared it him, wondering who he was and where he had come from. Harry was used to people's attention, but it felt strange how they all looked at him. He instinctively walked to the Gryffindor table, forgetting that he didn't belong there.

The Gryffindors immediately noticed his colors and filled in every empty space at the table. They all glared at him, telling him to leave without any words being said. Harry took the hint and headed for the Slytherin table, not even looking for anywhere to sit. He took the first seat he found open and plopped himself down, and as he did that, the room filled with conversation once more.

"Hey, new kid" Harry looked up and almost fell back. Sitting right in front of him was long haired blond from last night. Up close, it was the spitting image of Draco. His blond hair went down to his shoulders and had dark brown eyes. It was as if Draco had grown his hair. "Are you a pureblood?" the first things that ever come out of a Slytherin's mouth. Harry felt his head slowly nod. "Then the name is Malfoy. Xavier Malfoy. You've probably heard of me. I wouldn't be surprised if you did."

"Malfoy!" Harry said in surprised. That explained it. Since this wasn't Lucius, it had to be Draco's grandfather.

"So you have heard of me. Like I said, I'm not surprised."

"Stop being such a bloke, Xavier" Harry just noticed the person sitting beside Xavier. The dark haired boy from last night. Harry couldn't believe how unfortunate he was. "G'day, the name's Sebastian Chaud. A pleasure to meet ya" he stuck out his hand and waited for Harry to shake it. Harry reluctantly took the boy's hand and greeted him. "I'm from down under so forgive the accent" Sebastian had an incredibly strong Australian accent, which made sense to why he had darker skin than everyone else.

"Either way, you're not going to understand anything he says" Xavier chimed in, taking a bite out of a biscuit.

"Shuddap! I'm a Dinki-di and you know it!" Sebastian argued and then returned his attention back to Harry. "So what's your name, mate?"

"I'm Harry. Harry Potter" Harry was expecting a huge reaction to his name, but there wasn't. He was so used to gaining attention just because of his name, that he had forgotten that nobody knew him as the Boy who Lived.

"Nice to meet ya!" Sebastian was really friendly from what Harry could tell. "And this here is our very own Tom Riddle!" Harry lost all color in his face. Tom had been eating quietly so Harry hadn't noticed him at first. But now, seeing the young dark wizard up close, Harry didn't know what to feel or expect.

"I know" Harry said quietly so no one would hear him.

"So you know him too huh?" Xavier pointed his fork at Harry, waiting for an answer.

"We met last night" Tom muttered and smirked at Harry. "While we were…studying"

"Studying?" Xavier asked trying to recall last night's events. "I though we were having se—" Sebastian nudged Xavier in the ribs to shut him up. "What was that for!" like his grandson, Xavier had a temper problem.

"For being such a nong!" Sebastian insulted the blond wizard.

"Don't call me things I don't understand!"

"Then I wouldn't be able to call you anything!" Sebastian retorted.

Xavier pulled out his wand and pointed it at the Australian. "Are you calling me stupid?"

"No, I'm calling you a drongo" Sebastian said calmly.

"Oh…okay" Malfoy put his wand away and took his seat at the table and resumed eating. Five minutes later of silence he glared at Sebastian and yelled. "Hey! Is that a bad thing!" Sebastian started to laugh along with all the other people who were listening to their conversation. Harry didn't know what a drongo was, but he knew that it wasn't a compliment. Like a stereotypical blond, Xavier wasn't the brightest person in the world. Harry had figured as much considering his blood line. "Stop laughing!" that just made everyone laugh even more. Xavier crossed his arms and pouted.

"I'm sorry, mate" Harry stopped laughing as Sebastian cupped the side of Xavier's face with his hand. "I'll make it up to ya" he rubbed the boy's lips with his finger, but Xavier pulled away.

"I don't want you" Xavier answered. "Tom is the only person for me" Harry looked at Tom who had no reaction to Xavier's words. The inside of Harry's stomach started to squirm, but it wasn't really out of hunger. These people were open about their relationship and didn't care what anyone else thought. If everyone knew about Tom in this time, then why didn't they know in his own time? Harry had no time to think about it since various loud hootings filled the room. A swarm of owls flew over their heads, dropping packages, letters, and the Daily Prophet. Harry looked for Hedwig, but then remembered that she wasn't even born yet.

A dark barn owl dropped a card in front of Harry, but it was taken away by Xavier. "Looks like you got mail" he ripped it open and read its contents. "Hey! You have every class with me!" Xavier proclaimed. Harry felt his heart sink. He didn't want to spend every class with Xavier. Harry pried the card from the blonde's grip and read his class schedule. Every class that he should be taking was there, which were the classes that he needed to become an auror. Harry dug his head into his arms.

"Don't worry, mate. Xavier isn't _that _bad" Sebastian consoled the wizard and infuriated Xavier at the same time.

"I'll take that as a compliment" Xavier burrowed his brow and finished eating his breakfast.

"But it wasn't" countered Sebastian. Harry thought that Sebastian was nice. A friendly person with a strange accent. He had dark brown hair with eyes to match. Tan skin covered his body and was of average size. Although he was cruel to the blond, everyone could tell that he as just playing around with him…except for the blond.

"Let's go" Harry heard Tom say. Xavier and Sebastian followed without question, leaving their food behind. "You coming?" Tom said to Harry in a tone that showed that he didn't care if Harry followed or not. Since Harry didn't know anybody, he took a final bite of food and followed his nemesis.

Armando Dippet was just starting a speech, welcoming all the first years, but Harry didn't get to hear it. Harry followed the trio back to the Slytherin house. They removed their robes and Harry covered his eyes, fearing the worst. "Don't worry. You're not going to peek at us when we do it" Tom whispered in his ear. Tom was standing with his robe pulled down so his chest was exposed. Harry felt his eyes wander towards the dark wizard's body, but Tom quickly covered his body when he saw Harry staring at him. "Get changed" Tom ordered.

Harry didn't want to take orders from him, but got into new robes anyway. "Where are we going?" Harry asked Sebastian.

"Well, I have Arithmancy with Tom right now so I'm going there. You have Defense Against the Dark Arts with Xavier." Sebastian tied his robe and gathered his books needed before leaving with Tom.

"Can you give me a hand?" Xavier called Harry. The young wizard saw that Malfoy was having trouble trying his robes from behind so he gave him a hand. Once he was finished tying, Xavier grabbed his hands and pulled him forward so that he was hugging the blond. Harry quickly pulled himself away and stared at the blond in confusion. "What? Can't two friends share a hug?"

Images of himself and Ron sharing the few hugs they had entered his mind. "Let's just go" Harry said.

"Fine, follow me" Harry followed the devious blond to his first class, Defense Against the Dark Arts.

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Harry wasn't sure what to expect in the Dark Arts room, but it surely wasn't what he saw. He was so used to the room looking dreadful and full of evil dark wizards, but instead, he found it to be well decorated. Portraits of famous wizards covered the walls, there were also statues of animals Harry had never seen, and in the center of the room was a glowing orb. The light that filled the room seemed to emit from it. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to the orb, so it must have been common. Xavier pulled Harry by the hand to seats at the back of the room. "You have to meet the teacher. She's a total cutie!" Harry didn't' know if Xavier was joking or not. It could have been possible for him to like both sexes, but Harry had never known anyone like that.

Everyone was starting to take their seats as the teacher entered the classroom. "Good morning class" the voice was soft and gentle, able to heal any wounds in the soul. Harry knew only one person who could do that in this time. "For those of you who don't know, I am Professor Sedo…" it was the nurse that had taken care of Harry. "…and welcome to seventh year of Defense Against the Dark Arts"

Xavier nudged Harry's stomach, "See? Isn't she a cutie?" Xavier was right. Sedo had the appearance of a young woman, but with great maturity. She looked as if she was still in her twenties. Maybe she was. She wore the traditional robes of a teacher, yet she made it look appealing. And even though she had her hair tied up into a bun, she still looked radiant.

"Since you're all promising wizards, let us begin today's lesson." She tapped her wand on the glowing orb and it turned into a light shade of blue. "Who here knows what Dark Matter is?"

Someone shot their hand up in the front and was called on. Harry couldn't see who it was though since he sat in the back. "Dark Matter is an entity of nothingness. It is a result of the Noir spell."

"Very good, ten points Gryffindor. Now let me demonstrate. First you raise your wand and make a sign like this" she instructed he wand in the shape of an infinite sign. "Then you say the magic words, Noir Escura!" a stream of darkness was flowing from her wand. It looked like a stream of black water, but it soon took form of a sphere. She maneuvered the dark sphere to the one of light and it engulfed it. The entire room filled with pure darkness, that not even one's hand could be seen. Many of the girls squealed in fright, while others tried to cast Lumos, only for it to have no affect. "Can you all hear me?" Everyone replied. "Dark Matter is pure darkness. No light can penetrate it, not even that of your Lumos spell. Now who wants some light?" Everyone in the room answered, fearing the darkness. "Let there be light" she chanted, and the darkness disappeared faster than it came.

Chairs were knocked over and people were in clumps. Xavier had his arms wrapped around Harry with his eyes closed until he realized there was light again. "Today's lesson was the use of magical items to enhance spells. This orb of light here can be used to channel magic and increase its power tenfold. In the case of Dark Matter, it strengthens its range, not its dark content. Now who knows what Dark Matter can be used for?"

The same person raised their hand. "Dark Matter can be used to summon dark creatures. Its aura appeals to these magical creatures and they follow it. It is the opposite of a Patronus which repels these creatures."

"Correct, another ten points to Gryffindor. We will be using this spell a lot in this class. We will call upon the strongest of creatures and practice magic against them. So your homework is small, but difficult Master this spell by our next meeting. That will be all for today, and Harry, can we have a word?"

All the wizards and witches gathered their things and headed out to their next class or to their house. "Go get 'em tiger" Xavier winked at Harry and pushed him towards Sedo.

"Yes, Professor?"

"Professor Dumbledore has instructed me to give you this textbook. He has informed me about everything so you have nothing to worry about. I'm sure you'll like it here" she flashed him that gentle smile of hers and sat down at her desk.

"Thank you, Professor" Harry said glumly. Her words were kind, but the thought of having to stay in this time just wasn't what he wanted to hear.

Xavier had been talking to a couple of girls. When Harry arrived, they left giggling. "What took you so long Harry?" Xavier pulled him into a hug. "I missed you" Harry pushed Xavier off of him, unable to get used to Xavier's affection.

"Let's go" Harry said, similar to the dark lord. Xavier held his hand for the entire way back. No matter how hard Harry tried to let go, Xavier refused to let that happen which earned them a lot of stares and giggles in the hall. "Let me go" Harry finally said when nobody was in earshot.

"Why?" Harry thought that Xavier was just being stubborn, but there could have been some sincerity in his words. Harry didn't answer, he didn't feel like he needed to. He allowed Xavier to hold his hand, only because he didn't want to speak to the blond.

They arrived at the dorm and went straight into the room Harry saw last night. Xavier threw all his things onto his bed and fell on it.

"Um…which bed is mine?" Harry asked.

"Hm? Oh, you can have the one over there" Xavier pointed in the direction, moving into a sitting position. Harry moved towards the bed and threw his things. "Right next to Tom's" Harry shuddered. The bed beside his was clean and neat, as if nobody has ever slept in it. It must have been Tom's.

The young wizard took in a deep breath and held himself by the bed. He then felt something on his back and a whisper saying "So where did a boy like you come from?" Xavier was right behind him, their bodies were pressed close. Harry could feel the other boy's breath on his neck.

"I transferred here from another school" Harry replied, anticipating a question of that sort sooner or later.

"That's very interesting" Harry could tell that the blond didn't care in the least. Before he knew it, Harry was flipped over on his back and Xavier was only lips away from him. He held down Harry's wrists and had his legs pinned down, in other words, Harry was trapped.

"I'm not gay" Harry said flatly, hoping that Xavier would get the message.

But the blond could be very stubborn when he wanted to be. "So, neither am I, but that doesn't mean that us boys can't play" Xavier whispered and drew his lips closer. He was so close that Xavier's breath was tickling Harry's lips. He was afraid to move, because if he moved, then that may bring the kiss faster. Malfoy smirked and went in for the kill

"What are you two doing?" and then he suddenly jumped back and acted as if nothing happened.

"Nothing that's any of your business" Xavier scowled at the Australian who just entered.

"What about mine?" Tom entered the room, his hair out of place and his robes wrinkled. Actually, Sebastian had the same problem and a part of his robe was tucked into his pants.

"Wait, why were you two late?" Xavier asked, his question mainly directed at Sebastian.

"Nothing that's any of your business" Sebastian mimicked and stuck out his tongue.

"Tell me now!" Xavier pulled out his wand with great speed and aimed it at the Australian.

"Sorry mate, but I don't like to kiss and tell, or anything else for that matter" he smirked at Xavier, just asking for a jinx to be cast on him.

"That's it, you're so dead!" Xavier was in the process of a spell, but Tom stood in front of Sebastian, and Xavier automatically stopped casting. He would never hit Tom, ever.

"Stop fighting. Sebastian, let's go" Tom got the book he needed and left with Sebastian to their next class.

Harry didn't have a class yet, and neither did Xavier since they had the same classes. "I'm going to take a shower" Xavier huffed to the bathroom and turned the shower water on. Harry tried to forget everything that just happened and lied down on his bed. He let out a yawn and tried to sleep. For some reason, he felt really tired. It must be time travel lag or something, but he closed his eyes and fell asleep to the sound of running water.

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Harry couldn't sleep. He had too many things on his mind. For one thing, there was Xavier, the grandfather of his rival. If anyone were to become supreme overlord, Malfoy would have been it. Yet, it was Tom Riddle who won that title.

Xavier was conceited, selfish, and a powerful wizard. Harry had wanted to practice the Noir spell with him, but he said that he had already mastered it. Even Harry was having trouble keeping the dark sphere from disappearing. Xavier performed it with ease, and that not only made Harry jealous, but a bit curious of the extent of Xavier's powers.

The shower water had gone silent and Harry lay still on his bed. Xavier came out of the bathroom wearing nothing, but a bath towel, wrapped around his waist. All Harry could do was stare. From all the robes he wore, you would never be able to tell how physically fit the blond was unless he removed them all.

His hair was soaked in water and dripped over his eyes. It was messy and untamed and had a sort of sexiness to it. He had a body that no magic could create. Pecs, abs, biceps, you name it and he would have it. The definition of beauty stood in front of Harry, gripping the end of his towel. Xavier had a smug grin on his face "You like?" even his voice at that moment would have made any girl or boy fall weak on their knees.

Harry looked away, his face blushing mad with red. "Put on some clothes"

"Come on, Harry. You know you want to see me" Xavier was loosening his hold on the towel, provoking the young wizard. As Harry was about to object, he let go of the towel and let it fall to the floor. Xavier now stood in all his glory before Harry, who shielded his eyes at the first sight of _it_. "Stop trying to not look. Don't fight it" he was really full of himself, but was probably right. He kept on moving in Harry's line of vision, but Harry continued to shield his eyes with his hand.

Harry got sick of the blonde's actions and pulled out his wand. "Noir Escura!" the familiar dark stream poured from his phoenix tail wand and formed into a sphere.

"Like that'll do you any good" Xavier said mockingly. Harry spread his arms wide, making the sphere of Dark Matter expand until it filled the whole room. Falling prey to his own spell, Harry could only hear the scuffling going on the room. His eyes were closed anyway, concentrating on not letting the sphere disappear. There was more movement on Xavier's part, and Harry kept his senses open for anything. Suddenly, he felt his body fall backwards and something heavy over him. "Let there be light!" Harry yelled out, making the sphere evaporate into the air. Xavier was clutching onto Harry's robes, his eyes clenched tight, and body shaking.

Harry didn't know what to think of this, but he knew what he was going to do. "Get off me!" the young wizard forcefully pushed the blond away, because he was holding onto Harry without any clothes on. Once again, when Xavier noticed that there was light, he regained his composure and moved to his drawer, searching for underpants as if nothing had happened. "What was that about?"

"What was what about?" Malfoy was acting strange.

"Tackling me to the ground, that's what!" Harry was getting annoyed with the blond. Not only did Xavier constantly show his affection, but he was also very stubborn.

"Nm erbray er je brak" Xavier muttered, his head hanging low.

"What?"

"I said I'm afraid of the dark!" Xavier shouted, surprising the young wizard. "And if you tell anyone, I'll jinx you so bad that even Professor Sedo won't be able to fix you!"

"Fine, fine. It's not like I care anyway." Harry was glad to get some sort of information out of the blond. It meant that they were actually becoming…friends. No matter how odd that sounded to Harry, being friends with his rival's ancestor, it was better than being in this time alone. "And will you put on some clothes!" Harry shielded his eyes again.

"I already did when you were yammering" Harry moved his hand away only to find Xavier fully erect and stroking himself. "Noir Esc—"

"Incarcerous" Xavier had his wand and a stream of ropes shot out, binding Harry by the hands and feet. His hands were tied behind his back, and his legs were bound together, preventing any movements. Xavier was walking closer, flaunting his manhood. "Now now, Harry. Don't deny yourself from these sort of pleasures" Xavier held his erection in one hand, still stroking to the images of what he was about to do.

"Let me go or I'll curse you!" Harry threatened, even though it was an empty threat. There was no way he could cast any spell tied up in the position he was and Xavier knew that. The devious blond lowered himself to Harry's level, so that they were in the position they were before. With Xavier over him and Harry helpless.

Continuing from where they left off, Xavier moved his lips closer to Harry's, purposely taking his time so Harry would see it coming. "What are you doing?" Harry and Xavier both looked in the direction of the interruption. Tom was standing in the doorframe, his arms crossed and his eyes red with anger.

"T-Tom! It's not what it looks like" Xavier tried to cover himself up with his hands, but there was no way to hide his monstrous arousal. "Harry and I were just—"

"Shut up" ordered Tom. Xavier quickly obeyed and looked away from Tom's piercing gaze. "Finite Incantatem." Tom chanted, unraveling the ropes from Harry. Sebastian then came into the room to the strange scene of Xavier naked, Harry removing ropes, and Tom extremely pissed off. Sebastian knew what he needed to do. He went after Harry and dragged him towards the door. Tom had his wand aimed at Xavier.

"Tom, please! I'm sorry!" Xavier pleaded.

"Put on some clothes you filthy slut" Tom commanded and Xavier obeyed. He ran to the dresser and put on the first shirt and pants he found, forgetting about underwear. He then ran back to Tom with his eyes looking at Tom's feet.

"What's going on?" Harry whispered to Sebastian as they were about to leave.

"I don't know, but it's not good. We need to scram, now!" Sebastian pulled on Harry's arm, but Harry wanted to see what was going to happen.

"Diffindo!" Tom slashed his wand in the air and a large cut appeared through Xavier's shirt. He continued to do that until the blonde's shirt was no more. "Diffindo!" Tom repeated, and a large slash appeared on Xavier's chest. A loud scream followed, filling the room. Harry couldn't believe what Tom was doing. Tom slashed the air again, and the same ear piercing scream flew through Harry's body.

"Let's go!" Sebastian pulled Harry outside of the room and closed the door.

"What is Tom doing!" Harry asked Sebastian, wanting some answers.

"Don't worry. Xavier will be alright, mate" Another scream of pain escaped from beneath the door.

"Does he sound alright! I got do something!" Filled with Gryffindor courage, Harry ran back to the room only to find the door locked. "Alohomora" he yelled out and burst in.

"Harry, you nong! Don't!" Sebastian warned, but it was too late. Harry ran in to find Xavier on his hands and knees. His back was marked with red slashes of blood. The red liquid flowed down his body making a puddle beneath the blond.

Tom took no notice to Harry and brought his wand back down for another painful scream. "Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled out, and Tom's wand went flying to the other side of the room. Tom ignored the young wizard and outstretched his arm. His wand suddenly flew back to him and he caught it, bringing it down for another slash. A new mark appeared on Xavier's back and he shouted out. "Stop it!" Harry begged, but Tom continued to ignore him. There was no point in disarming the young dark lord, so Harry would have to take an offensive approach if he were to save Xavier. The first spell that came to mind was the one he learned from the Half Blood Prince. "Sectumsempra!"

"Protego" Tom muttered the easiest of defensive spells, surprising the young wizard. Yet, even so, Harry's spell was deflected and destroyed the picture of Tom that sat on Sebastian's dresser. Harry couldn't believe it. How could a basic spell defeat his own? Was Tom really that powerful?

"Sectumsempra!" Harry repeated, but it was deflected as before. Harry began to feel weak and the vision of Tom started to get distorted. Everything around him started spinning and his head began to burn. The scar on his forehead pierced his mind. The last thing he saw was Sebastian running into the room and Xavier catching him before he hit the floor. Then everything went dark.

-+-+-+-+-+-

Harry was lying in his bed and as soon as he remembered what happened, he shot up. Looking around the room, he saw Xavier lying unconscious in his bed and Tom was leaning in the corner, muttering something to himself. The cuts on Xavier were slowly vanishing, and that's when Harry noticed that Tom must have been chanting a healing spell.

"Looks like you're awake" Tom's voice surprised him. It was unusual for the dark lord to be speaking to him.

"What happened?" Harry found himself asking, forgetting who he was talking to.

"You used up too much magic. It caused you to faint" Tom walked closer to Harry's bed. He took a seat at the foot of it and stared at Harry for what felt like the longest time. "You're weak" he said suddenly.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said that you're weak. You let Xavier control you. That makes you weak" his voice didn't show what he meant. It was cold and stoic. Like his eyes. No matter what you wanted to see in Tom's eyes, all you saw was nothing.

"He just caught me off guard"

"That's what he does." Tom looked over at the blond, still casting the spell in silence while speaking to Harry. "Besides, you could have used that spell. Sectumsempra was it? What does it do?"

"Why don't you let me cast it on you to find out?"

Tom glared at Harry, but ignored the comment. "Why don't I just cast it on Xavier?" Tom aimed his wand at the sleeping blond. "Sectumse—"

"—Stop!" Harry lunged forward in an attempt to take Tom's wand, but missed by an inch.

"You _are_ weak" Tom exclaimed. "Just stay away from my boyfriend" Tom walked back to his corner. "Both of them" he added.

Just then Sebastian came in carrying a tray. "I brought you some tea and biscuits" announced Sebastian. When he placed the tray on Harry's lap, the young wizard gave him a confused look. There was no tea or biscuits of any sort. "I'm sorry, that means dinner and cookies. I'm just not used to calling it that" Sebastian apologized and watched as Harry ate.

"What about me?" Xavier was just waking up to the smell of food. "I want some food! I was hurt too!" Tom glared at him and Xavier quickly shut up. But after a while he began complaining again.

"Stop whinging and get it yourself!" Sebastian retorted.

"I'm injured here! I can't!" Xavier crossed his arms and pouted.

"You're acting like an ankle biter." Sebastian insulted the blond.

"I don't want your ankles! I want food!"

"It means you're a baby, drongo!"

"Stop calling me names in your weird language! Speak English like normal people!"

"I'll speak whatever I want, nong!"

"Stop it or I'll jinx you!"

"You couldn't jinx a two year old!" Sebastian mocked.

"I'll show you two year old!"

Harry found himself laughing after a long time. He couldn't remember the last time he laughed, but he knew it was the first in this time. Maybe being trapped here wouldn't be so bad after all. Then again…

"Both of you shut up" Tom threatened, and the two immediately stopped bickering. Being trapped with your nemesis can't be a good thing, can it? Somehow, Harry found himself unsure of what to believe anymore.

* * *

See? Didn't I say that this chapter was going to be longer? The graphic scenes up there were edited, having been too graphic to actually post. I only posted what I thought would be relevant and tame enough without getting me kicked off the site. Also, the period where Harry was sent back in time to has restricted me of many characters. Therefore, I have created my own. The big ones are of course going to be Xavier (Draco's grandfather?) and Sebastian (relationship to the future…not telling!). He's Australian so he's going to be speaking their language…okay, they don't really have a language, but they do have their own special words for everything. You should be able to decipher what they mean based on the context of the sentence…hopefully…or just take a wild guess. There's also Ms. Sedo who is completely fictional and made up. So far, everyone else is real…even me. I'm real. And like most real people, I have feelings about whether you review or not. So please review because I'm real. 


	4. Unforgivable Curses

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 3 – Unforgivable Curses_

**Disclaimer: **Does anyone know when the 7th book is coming out? Hmmm…well, whenever it does, I will not own any of the characters! That right goes to J.K. Rowling and no one else…except for maybe God or something, since he owns everything…unfair.

**Warning: **Some more loving Harry and wanting to fondle him. Maybe Tom will get some more action and Harry will watch and be all jealous…I don't know…I haven't decided yet.

**Author's Note: **Hello everyone and behold! I am not dead! I'm terribly sorry for the extremely late update, but school must die a horrible, horrible death. I love all of you who reviewed in the time I wasn't here and I hope you guys continue to do so. Anywho, I'll stop rambling and let you guys get one with the story. Enjoy!

* * *

Tom and Sebastian had gone to their next class, advanced runes. For being so young, they sure took the hardest of classes; only a fifth year and Tom is already taking advanced classes. Sebastian also demonstrated his mastery of most wizardry arts, putting him almost at the same level as the dark lord. Harry was a seventh year, but he felt like he was behind the Tom's level. It made him feel pathetic. He knew that the dark lord was a powerful wizard, his very name feared by everyone in the future. What Harry didn't know was just how strong he was, only how strong he will be.

Xavier Malfoy, father to the infamous Lucius, and grandfather of Draco; the young wizard who took every opportunity to make his life miserable. Harry was able to figure out that he was bi, since he was going to have a son. Still, the thought of it made him shudder. Last night replayed in his mind, Xavier moving in and out of Sebastian, and Tom getting ready to join in.

He shook his head, making the memory dissipate. If you ignored his conceited personality, Xavier turned out to be a powerful wizard. What he was lacking in intelligence Xavier made up in his ability to learn quickly, and cast, advanced spells as though it were child's play. The golden hair that flew down to his shoulders gave the illusion of his weakness, and his perfectly sculpted body made people think that he was just a pretty face. Harry learned quickly that this was false.

Harry was trapped with three of the most powerful wizards of the time.

And who was he? Just a boy who survived. It wasn't something that Harry was proud of, no matter what the scar on his forehead signified.

His mother's love.

Lightning. A flash of bright light that can destroy whatever it touches, falling from the sky, quicker than sound. Is that what his mother's love was? A sudden burst of light that threatened to protect instead of destroy? It didn't make any sense. Lightning was destructive and didn't seem to have anything to do with his mother. Then again, Harry didn't know his parents at all. He knew what they were like based on what other people said, but that's not enough. Harry never experienced their voice, their touch, their love…

"Are you alright?"

Harry flinched, startled from his reminisce. "I thought you were asleep." The wizard tried to act uncaring toward the blonde wizard, but was still caught up in his memories.

"You shouldn't assume anything," Xavier rested his head on the back of the pillow, making himself more comfortable. "Most assumptions are wrong."

"But some can be true."

"Really now? Tell me, what was your assumption of me when we first met?" Malfoy shifted in his bed, putting on the image that he could care less what Harry thought about it, yet he was listening intently to the wizard's words.

The first time Harry saw Xavier was when he was---'studying'. "I thought that you were conceited, stubborn, selfish, uncaring, dim-witted, provocative, bad-mouthed, stup—"

"Okay, that's enough. I get it, you didn't like me." Xavier was hurt a little, but didn't let it show. "But what about now? What do you think of me now?"

Harry wasn't really one to tell lies. But to tell the truth would mean to show an act of kindness to his rival's bloodline. "Now, I think you're a perverted, horny, regular teenage guy who thinks too highly of himself." Harry also wasn't known for being cold and heartless. "And that just makes you normal."

Xavier turned the other way, hiding his blush. Harry had no idea what effect he had on the blonde. To make him blush with a simple compliment is something that hardly ever happened with Xavier. The blonde wizard is usually the one making people blush, not the other way around.

There was a moment of silence, neither one of them knew what to say next. Harry's comment had left things awkward between them, but there was no way of taking it back. Xavier pushed the covers from him and tried to walk to his dresser. Tom had healed most of the scars, but a few could still be seen, etched into his skin. When Xavier reached the wooden case, he held himself there, catching a breath.

"Are you sure you should be out of bed?" Harry asked, just noticing that Xavier was no longer lying before him.

The blonde gave him a grin. "Sure, I'm unbreakable. Built like a machine." He hit himself in the abs to show his strength, but did quite the opposite. The room spun and Xavier found himself staring up at Harry. The soft carpeting was itchy against Xavier's back and Harry's position over him wasn't making him anymore comfortable. "You know, if you want me, all you got to do is ask." He puckered his lips and leaned forward, scaring Harry away.

"Stop playing around." Harry said in frustration. "Don't you have a class or something?"

"Nope. Same classes as you, remember?" Xavier was rolling on his back, having trouble getting back on his feet. "A little help?" His arm was outstretched, waiting for the wizard to pull him up.

Harry glared, unable to refuse the blonde's call for help. He grabbed Xavier's hand, making sure he had a tight grip, and began to pull. Years of working out not only gave Xavier good looks, but strength as well. Enough of it to pull Harry down on top of him. Their lips missed by a fraction, tasting only the skin of the cheek. It was good enough for Xavier though and he began to chaste the young wizard with kisses, moving closer to his lips.

Harry pulled out his wand and jabbed Xavier in the ribs. The blonde let out a gasp for air, letting go of his prey.

"Don't you ever learn your lesson?" Harry brushed out the wrinkles in his robe.

"It's hard when temptation is right in front of me." He resumed to retrieving a shirt from his dresser, wanting to mask the scars along his back. He noticed Harry taking small glimpses at him and used that to his advantage. The shirt _accidentally _fell onto the floor and Xavier leaned over to pick it up, giving Harry a clear of view of his behind. "Oh dear, it seems that this shirt of mine keeps running away from my fingers. Whatever will I do?" The fakeness in Xavier's voice was obvious and he grinned when Harry rolled his eyes.

Tired of having to stare at Xavier's behind, Harry lifted the shirt from the ground with ease and flung it over Xavier's bent head. "Put it on already."

"I just wanted to give you a show of my awesome body. I know you were watching." He smirked.

Harry patted Xavier on the back and immediately the blonde let out a yelp. Pulling his hand back, Harry showed his palm to be covered in blood. "One of your wounds reopened. I'll go get some bandages."

Harry went into the bathroom in search of something to place over Xavier's wound. He was surprised to find that they actually had a cloth gauze. There were a lot of them which probably meant that Tom's angry fit happened more than once before. Sebastian probably applied them to Xavier when Tom refused to heal him.

Harry cursed at Tom. Even in the past the Dark Lord committed to his evil deeds. His friends weren't safe from his wrath and his enemies stood less of chance. Harry wasn't sure if he was Tom's friend or his enemy. By the way things have been going lately, he could be either.

A groan from the room forced Harry to pull away from his thoughts and treat Xavier. He cleaned the wound as best he could and applied the gauze to Xavier's wound. The many slashes made Harry think that Xavier's skin would feel just as rough, but it was the exact opposite. While putting on the gauze, Harry felt the blonde's pale skin, softer than his feathered quill.

"How is it, Doc? Am I going to live?" Xavier asked, trying to look over his shoulder.

"For the most part. Now put on a shirt." Xavier did as he was told and covered his scarred body.

Sebastian and Tom then came in, holding their textbooks. Tom looked perfectly fine, but Sebastian waddled over to his bed and fell over it.

Dropping his books and letting the softness of the bed overwhelm him, Sebastian closed his eyes and prepared for sleep. But that's asking for too much with Xavier in the same room.

"You tired?" Xavier asked the obvious.

"Bushwhacked," replied Sebastian into the covers. And before Xavier could ask what he meant, he answered, "It means so tired that I'm going to jinx you if you don't shut up, nong."

"That's fine. I'll just be over here…with Tom…all alone…doing things…"

Groaning, Sebastian lifted himself off the bed and teetered over to Tom. His eyes remained closed and his balance was off, but he managed to find the Dark Lord and topple over his lap and continue his nap. "Mine," he stated, and Tom said nothing.

Xavier glared at the sleeping Aussie, hating the boy for being so close to Tom. His fists clenched when he saw Tom stroking the boy's hair absent-mindedly.

Harry watched the scene, feeling his stomach churn. Seeing Tom show signs of affection toward a human being was what was strange to the young wizard. Tom patted the Sebastian's head with the utmost kindness and then rubbed gentle circles on his back to aid the boy in his sleep. Even when Harry was sure that Sebastian had entered comatose, Tom allowed for the wizard to remain asleep on him. And Harry could tell that that was infuriating Xavier.

An emotion of pity was felt towards the blonde. Harry could see that despite his egotistical persona, Xavier was sensitive and wanted the affection of others, especially Tom.

Xavier tried hard to not stare, but no matter where he looked his eyes wandered to Tom and Sebastian. Each time, his teeth clenched, his nostrils flared, and his eyes became red with jealousy. Harry thought it best to try and distract the blonde before he released a burst of anger.

"How long have you and Tom been together?" In the future, Voldemort's sexuality was virtually unknown, but here, it was expressed so openly. Harry wanted to get to the start of when it happened.

"Ever since we came to Hogwarts." The question came out of nowhere, but it put Xavier at ease. He was no longer gawking at the boy he was now talking about. "I didn't even want to come here, but ever since I met Tom, I'm glad I did." The blonde was truly head over heels for Tom and wasn't afraid to show it. "He was my first…you know." Suddenly shy, Xavier let Harry fill in the blanks.

"I see." Harry looked over at Sebastian who now had Tom sleeping over him as well. It was an adorable sight that made Harry blush and Xavier scowl.

"I'm going to bed." Xavier announced angrily and pulled a pillow over his head.

Their next class wasn't going to start soon, so Harry followed the actions of the others and fell back on Xavier's bed. He hadn't realized how tired he was and moving from his spot seemed impossible. A magical sleep overtook him and he slept where he lay.

-+-+-+-+-+-

An unknown warmth embraced Harry when he awoke. His eyes remained closed, but the conciseness of the world around him was there as well as the touch of another. For a moment, he pictured his mother and father, holding him in their arms. Their everlasting love reaching him even through time and death.

It felt nice to have that feeling of a parent's love, even if it was for a moment. But that feeling disappeared as quickly as it came, but that unknown warmth remained. Harry slowly opened his eyes, only to have his vision blurred. Someone had taken off his glasses while he slept and he searched frantically for them. But he found himself unable to move. Something was holding him down, preventing him from running away.

In his blindness, Harry could make out a head of blonde beside him which could only mean one thing.

"You finally awake?" It was Xavier's voice coming from the mysterious blonde blur. Harry panicked and flailed his arms, falling onto the floor in his confusion. Xavier leaned over the bed and (from what Harry could tell) smirked, "You're a heavy sleeper you know. You didn't even notice me fondling your ding-a-ling."

Harry's eyes opened wide and he found his body jumping at Xavier and pinning him down on the bed. "What!"

"I was joking! Geez, get a sense of humor." Xavier raised his hands in surrender, but continued to smile at the wizard.

"That's not funny." Harry reluctantly got off of Xavier and tried to find his glasses. Xavier came up to him and put something in his hands. "What's this?"

"Your glasses…you fell on them."

"Great." Harry held the remnants of his palm, staring at what he could make out.

"Xavier, we're leaving." Tom called from the doorway, already dressed and ready for their next class. Sebastian was next to him, holding their textbooks.

"But Harry's glasses are broken." Xavier said.

"That's alright, you guys go on ahead." Harry hated being waited for. It made him feel like he was holding everyone back.

Tom hated to wait. He walked up to Harry, yanked the glasses from the boy's hand and pulled out his wand. "Reparo." The glasses were magically put together and were then handed to Harry. "Let's go."

Obeying Tom, Harry quickly put on his glasses, grabbed the first robe he saw and his textbook and followed them out of the room.

Harry kept silent the entire way, sulking in the fact that Tom helped him. Sure, he was thankful that his glasses were repaired, but it made him think about Hermione and the many times she had to cast that same spell. And thinking about her made him realize that he would never see her again. That, for whatever reasons, he would remain in this time period.

Before they reached the room, Harry heard a very recognizable chuckle. One that brought back memories to how this all happened. "What class are we going to?" Harry asked.

Sebastian was the one to answer. "We all have Advanced Potions with Professor Slughorn."

Harry had no time to react to the reply since Professor Slughorn appeared in front of them with that huge grin of his.

"Xavier Malfoy! Boy have you grown. Can't keep the ladies away I bet?" He patted Xavier on the back.

"I manage, sir," Xavier chuckled and returned the gesture.

"Sebastian Chaud! The cleverest wizard who ever came from Oz." He gripped Sebastian's hand tightly and shook it with much enthusiasm.

"I'm looking forward to this year," Sebastian responded politely.

"And Tom Marvolo Riddle," he paused, taking a good luck at Tom. "It is a true honor to have you in my potions class this year." He stuck out his hand and waited for Tom to take it.

Tom took the man's hand, but said nothing. Instead, he went on to introduce the new student. "This is Harry Potter. He recently transferred here and is staying in the Slytherin dormitories."

"Pleasure to meet you, professor." It felt strange having to reintroduce himself to a professor that he knew pretty well.

"Ah, you're that _student_ Dumbledore told me about." He said fascinated. "So young. Pity." Slughorn shook his head and Harry's hand. "I'll be hoping to see you all at the Slug Club meeting after class?"

"Wouldn't miss it." Responded Sebastian for all of them.

"Harry, you're welcome to come as well," said Professor Slughorn. "Now all of you get to class before I mark you late." He laughed and they walked into the classroom.

Tom took a seat near the back of the room as did Sebastian and Xavier. Harry wanted to sit with someone else for a change, but some of the people were snickering at him and giving him mean looks. Harry looked at himself and saw that he bored the crest of a Slytherin and therefore made everyone automatically fear or hate him. Sighing, he took a seat next to Xavier.

"Welcome to Advance Potion Making," the Professor greeted everyone warmheartedly. "I'm hoping you all had a relaxing vacation and gone over the first lesson?" There was a mumble of yeses. "Good. Now open your textbooks to page 280 and take out the necessary ingredients. Today, we are going to be creating one of the most powerful potions called Veritaserum. Now, who can tell me what this potion does?" A hand from the front shot up. "Yes, Ms. Prince?"

Harry looked over at the girl who raised her hand, unsure if he had heard correctly. Eileen Prince, if he remembered correctly, was the mother of Harry's old potion's teacher, Severus Snape. To think that she was there when Tom Riddle attended Hogwarts was surprising. But just as he remembered her from Snape's memories, her face was long and pale, much similar to her son.

"Veritaserum has the power to make anyone tell the truth. It is the strongest of all the truth serums." Eileen answered intelligently.

"Ten points Slytherin. And who can tell me why Veritaserum is so dangerous?" Sebastian raised his hand, but was too slow. Slughorn called on someone sitting too close to the front to be seen by Harry's eyes.

"The potion is odorless, colorless, and tasteless making it unnoticeable when it is consumed." Responded the person.

"Ten points Gryffindor," Slughorn smiled, enjoying the fact that he had such brilliant students. "Now, everyone take out your cauldrons and begin preparing your very own Veritaserum potions. I'm actually running low on supply, so the first one to finish it perfectly will be able to keep it. The rest shall be mine." He snorted and waved his hand, signaling for everyone to start.

There was a cacophony of banging metal and bubbling concoctions in the room. Harry glanced over at Xavier, who was peaking at Sebastian's cauldron. Sebastian was concentrated at the task at hand, mixing ingredients in an order that came to him without looking at the book. Tom was doing just the same, only didn't appear as focused as the Australian.

Harry glanced at the book he had been given and let out a groan. Potions was never his strongest subject, but he truly wanted to outshine Tom. He looked at the first ingredient. "Moonstone." Seemed simple enough. Following the book's instructions, he cut a piece of the moonstone and tossed it into the cauldron and looked back at the book. "Mix in with 'Belladonna' and 'Billywig Parts'." Stirring the concoction counterclockwise, then clockwise, Harry added the plant and stingers.

The potion then began to fade in color, but a strong, foul stench brewed on the surface. The powdered edge of a unicorn's horn was supposed to fix that and that's what Harry added. He looked over at Sebastian who was muttering something under his breath and stirring fiercely in a strange pattern.

The final ingredient was yet to be added and Harry began plucking the Jobberknoll feathers. This was the most vital ingredient that would give the powerful effect of pulling the truth out of someone. He let the feathers flutter into the cauldron and began stirring.

Potions didn't seem as difficult as it was with Snape, thought Harry. Following the instructions felt incredibly easy, but then why had he done so bad when he was with Snape?

Suddenly, his Veritaserum turned a strange shade of purple and began bubbling. Harry took a few steps back from his potion and watched as the bubble gathered to the rim before pouring out of the cauldron. They dripped down the side of the container and touched the wooden desk, making a hissing noise. Smoke was rising from where it made contact with the wood and then disappeared as hole marked where it had touched.

"Scourgify," Tom cast, making the contents of the cauldron disappear. Harry was thankful that they were sitting in the back and that no one saw them. And as if nothing had happened, Tom resumed to his potion, ignoring Harry's accident.

Helplessly, Harry watched everyone else continue with their potions, wondering what he had done wrong. Xavier seemed to be having trouble, but his potion didn't turn into some acidic threat, so he was fine. Sebastian was crushing his Belladonna and stirred it with the Billywig Parts inside the hollowed Unicorn Horn. Carefully, he poured the ingredients into the cauldron and watched it shimmer with a clear sparkle.

Tom twirled a feather in between his fingers, already bored with the subject. Yet he played the role of a model student and continued with creating the Veritaserum. Using the Jobberknoll feather, he stirred the contents in his cauldron until the odor disappeared.

Harry had no idea how Sebastian and Tom knew what they were doing. From what Harry could tell, none of their procedures were written in the book. This just goes to show that he truly was no brilliant wizard when it came to the mixing of potions.

Seeing everyone else at work, Harry was sure that Tom was going to be the first to finish, but it was Eileen Prince who ran up to Slughorn with her vile of Veritaserum. The professor examined it closely, attempting to smell and using his wand to test the taste.

"Applause for Ms. Prince who has successfully created Veritaserum!" Slughorn clapped as did the rest of the class out of politeness. "Everyone, fill a vile with whatever you have and clean out your cauldrons. Then you may leave except for members."

The students packed away their things and rustled out of the room, minus the Slug Club recruits. Tom had all his things gathered and began walking down towards the front of the room. Xavier and Sebastian followed closely, heading into another room.

Slughorn's own private office was where the Slug Club meetings were held. It was fashioned to his liking with velvet curtains and a soft, comfortable armchair for himself. The floor was carpeted and the students formed a circle with Slughorn at the end of it. There were floating trays of snacks for anyone who desired them. Harry took a few before sitting cross-legged beside between Tom and Eileen.

Harry recognized very few of the people. There was Tom, Xavier and Sebastian. Eileen Prince was also there as well as some that Harry had seen inside the Pensieve of Slughorn's memories. There was Avery, Lestrange, even Moaning Myrtle? Only she wasn't transparent or having objects flung at her. Her glasses were as thick as ever and her eyes seemed a bit puffed from recent crying.

There was a girl who whispered something to Myrtle, making her eyes swell up and tear. She scooted farther away only to have the girl follow.

"Leave me alone, Olive." She begged, her voice reminding Harry of the future.

"Are you gonna cry again?" mocked Olive Hornby. "Isn't it a coincidence that "Myrtle" sounds like "Murder"? Olive smiled wildly and stared at Myrtle with blood lust eyes.

"Go away!" she begged.

Olive stopped her teasing, but only because Professor Slughorn was starting the meeting. "Ahem, welcome Slug Club members. How're your parents Myrtle? I'm hearing that their company is doing fantastically this year. Be sure to give them my congratulations." Figures that Slughorn would only invite Myrtle because of some connection he wants with her parents. He then turned to Harry, questioning himself whether he was Slug Club material. Harry's work in potions wasn't at level at all, but maybe there was something else about him that might aid Slughorn in the future. "Now Harry, what can _you_ do?"

"Uh…" Harry thought quickly, thinking back to every spell he ever learned. Only one stood out in his mind. The one that even in the future stood out. "I can conjure a Patronus."

"Really now?" Slughorn eyed Harry, unsure of the boy was telling the truth. "Show us."

Obediently, Harry took out his wand and took a standing position. With his eyes closed, a memory came to the wizard. The memory necessary to perform the spell without fail; one of pure joy and happiness. Then he chanted the spell, "Expecto Patronum!"

The students watched in awe as silver threads strung out of Harry's wand, intertwining with one another and slowly taking shape. The powerful light filled the room to a point of almost blindness. Yet everyone could see the mighty stag take form in the center of the room, created of brilliant silver light.

Their gaze of astonishment was enough to make Harry blush. Everyone seemed surprised that someone could conjure a Patronus at such an age, including Professor Slughorn. Their awes became more apparent when a silver snake appeared beside the stag.

Tom now stood beside Harry, with the same silver light coming out of his wand and with a smirk on his face. There was applause for the two wizards who had summoned two perfect examples of the spell that represents all that is good. Harry was just as stunned as everyone else, mainly because Tom cast a spell that was used to ward off evil.

"Marvelous, the both of you!" Slughorn cheered from his seat. "Stupendous that two mighty wizards as yourselves are in my club. I'm expecting great things from the both of you." Harry and Tom resumed their seats, having discovered something new about the other. "Now, who would like to go first?"

"I'll go." Said Eileen and stood up with her wand in hand.

"Go first in what?" Harry whispered to Tom since he was the only beside him.

"Just watch." Tom silenced the wizard, watching Eileen intently.

"What have you prepared for us today, Ms. Prince?" asked Slughorn, reclining in his chair.

"I've developed a spell to use Dark Matter as a weapon." She stated and steadied her wand. The room silenced and all eyes were on her. Her breathing softened, focusing her mind on casting the spell. "Noir Escura!" She chanted and a stream of pure darkness flowed from her wand. Just as their Dark Arts teacher had taught them, she condensed the dark matter into a sphere.

The tray of snacks floated to her and was pulled into the ball of nothingness, disappearing from sight. She then muttered, "Eradicunctus." A spell Harry had never heard before. Nothing seemed to happen at first, but then there was the faint sound of something being crumpled. The noise cracked and grew louder as the effects of the spell became more apparent. The tray inside the Dark Matter was being destroyed completely.

Harry watched close as the sounds faded and the spell was let free. "Let there be light." The ball of darkness disappeared as well as the tray of tasty treats. It had vanished into nothingness.

"Amazing, Ms. Prince, just amazing!" Slughorn sounded like the type who was easily impressed, but he had reason to be. For a witch to create her own spell was no simple task and here Eileen made it seem like child's play.

"Thank you, Professor." She smiled and sat back next to Harry.

"That was incredible," whispered Harry to her.

"Thanks," she whispered back, a slight giddiness to her voice. "Your Patronus was amazing too," she returned the compliment.

"Mr. Malfoy, you may go next." Slughorn called for Xavier, giving him the center of the circle.

Without question, Xavier took center stage and rolled up his sleeves for show. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you my magnificent spell! But," he paused for dramatic effect. "I'm going to need a volunteer." And his eyes looked right at Harry's direction. "Harry! Thank you for volunteering. Everyone give him a round of applause for being so brave." Xavier clapped his hands to encourage everyone else to do the same.

Eileen nudged Harry forward and he shared the limelight with Xavier. There was a sense of doubt that made Harry wonder what Xavier was planning on doing. Tom had his arms crossed and watched Harry closely, almost seeming to not blink. His stare felt heavy on Harry, but the wizard held his head high and without fear of the unknown.

"Now watch closely as my lovely assistant gives me a kiss!"

"No." Harry said flatly not even considering the possibility.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I wasn't asking." Xavier pulled out his wand and pointed it at Harry. "Imperio!" he shouted.

Harry's body became stiff, all feeling lost, all senses gone. He could see everyone watching him with confused faces. In their eyes, nothing looked different, but Harry knew the exact effects of the curse Xavier dared to chant. The twirl of the wand forced Harry's body to face the smug look on Xavier's face. Closer Harry's body leaned forward to Xavier's, acting on the will of another. He could hear everyone hold their breath in suspense, waiting for the inevitable kiss to occur.

There was a flash of silver and a massive snake appeared between Harry and Xavier. All eyes moved to Tom's direction where he had his wand pointed out and aimed at the two. The snake hissed and slithered around Harry, coiling him in a stream of light and protection. Xavier's magical hold on Harry was broken and the wizard felt his limbs regain life and follow his direction. The snake released Harry from its protective hold and vanished into the air.

The sudden regain of one's own body caused Harry to fall on his knees, gasping for breath. Sebastian ran up to him and tried to help him up, "Are you alright?" He asked concerned. Harry nodded his head, unable to answer with words and allowed for Sebastian to raise him to his feet.

So many things were running through Harry's mind. The biggest one being what Xavier had just done. Anger was too soft of an emotion to describe what Harry felt at the moment their lips nearly touched. And to have it be done while under the Imperius Curse? Harry still couldn't believe that Xavier was the maker of such a spell; one of the Unforgivable Curses of his time.

Then it hit him. If Xavier had somehow created the Imperius Curse, then what about the other two? Harry looked at Tom, and then at the person holding him.

Sebastian Chaud. It had never felt strange to Harry that Sebastian had never been mentioned in the history books or by any teacher. His existence didn't seem to appear in the future world. Surely a wizard with talents such as his would have his name marked down as a great wizard? Then, why does he disappear from history?

The makers of the Unforgivable Curses were in that very room. The most powerful wizards that the world has ever seen are part of some juvenile club created by some fame-hungry professor. And the strongest of them all, Tom Riddle, just saved him?

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I really hope that this was worth the long wait. I'm going to make sure to get chapters up faster now because school is getting under control and easier to handle now. Plus, I don't want this story to die. Also, the more reviews I get, the more inspired I become and the faster the chapters will come! Hint hint. Lots of love for all of you! Oh! And let me know if you think anything is wrong or out of place, because I want this to be as true to the book as possible. Of course, it won't be exactly because a lot of things aren't mention…like Myrtle being in the Slug Club…well, she is now only because it never said she wasn't! Correct me on things and constructive criticism is gladly accepted and encouraged. Adios! 


	5. Feelings Unknown

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 4 - Feelings Unknown _

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter, etc etc.

**Warning: **This chapter will contain um…some Harry turning gayish? It has to happen some time people! And lots of love from me! The author!!

**Author's Note: **Hiya y'all! Awesome reviews you guys! Last chapter got the most so far! You guys have totally brought me back to this story and now I can't seem to stop writing it! Okay, first things first. I've gotten several reviews about the Imperius Curse thingy and how Harry's able to fight etc. etc. I've already explained it to some of you, but the reason for that will be told in this chapter. Also, Harry and Tom finally actually talk…to each other! Gasp, I know. If you've forgotten, this _is_ a slash fic and that slashness should be included at some point...eventually. It has to be perfect and not rushed, so patience is key! Now enjoy xD

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Sebastian pulled his wand out from his robe, holding it steadily in his hand. The stares of everyone in the Slug Club didn't waver his focus. Their gaze fell heavily on his movements. This was his chance to impress everyone with the gifts he had been given: His strong Australian accent, his dashing good looks, and his powerful magic. 

"Altilisortia." A small bird shot out of his wand and fell on the floor. His wings began to flap wildly in an attempt to escape. "Obtempero." Then, the bird stopped all movement and chirped soundly. It was now under Sebastian's control.

So far, the group seemed unimpressed, having seen these same spells performed in their classes. But the best was yet to come.

Taking in a deep breath, Sebastian's eyes fell upon its target. They revealed a side of him that showed pure hatred towards the adorable creature. They showed no mercy. "Crucio!" The tiny bird fell on its side and chirped madly.

It fidgeted on its back, spastically rolling around and screeching at the top of its lungs. Its cry forced some people to cover their ears and others to shut their eyes. The sight was too painful to watch and Sebastian refused to lift the spell. The birds head turned to an unusual angle that caused it more death-wanting pain. Its wings flapped crazily, scattering feathers all around it. Its miniature talons clawed at the air, wanting to run away from the pain, but find that it wasn't even able to move.

Harry watched stunned at what Sebastian was doing. He looked around at the other members, unable to comprehend why they did nothing to stop the atrocity taking place. Some had their hands over their eyes while the others watched with much interest and this greatly disturbed Harry. If they weren't going to do anything, he had to take matters into his own hands.

"Stop it!" He yelled and ran to stop Sebastian with his wand pulled out. Surprised by Harry's sudden outburst, Sebastian's wand wavered and was now aimed at the wizard running at him. The affects of the curse burst from Sebastian's wand and hit Harry, forcing him painfully to the ground.

Unbearable pain flooded through Harry. His fingers bent backward too far and his legs were pulled into impossible positions. His lungs felt like they were on fire and he felt like screaming his head off. So, he did. The sudden attack of the spell brought forth a blood curdling scream from Harry that made him regret it later, because as soon as the yell was let out, he couldn't stop.

Time was an illusion and it felt like hours had flown by. The pain disappeared quicker than it had come and Harry's screaming fell silent. Finally opening his eyes, Harry saw the worried and confused expressions of everyone in the room. There was Professor Slughorn's concern for a student, Xavier's worry for an admired, Sebastian's apologetic look for a victim, and Tom's dark, ominous eyes staring right into his. He put an arm beneath Harry and held him up.

Sebastian was kneeling beside him, "Are you alright, Harry?" He asked.

Harry tried to speak, but the curse had left his throat dry. His answer came out cracked and airy, worrying the blond standing behind him.

"No! Harry can't speak! Never again will I hear his sexy voice!" Xavier put the back of his hand to his forehead for dramatic effect and fell to his knees. "Why do the good die young?!" He began to panic even more when Harry's eyes closed. "Harry, no! I must awaken him with a kiss."

"No…don't." Harry managed to cough out; anything to silence the drama queen.

"Here." Tom conjured a glass of water and handed it to Harry who drunk it gratefully.

"I'm really sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to point the spell at you." Sebastian apologized.

"You shouldn't have gotten in the way in the first place." Tom suddenly said, still holding Harry in his arms. "You brought this on yourself."

"I was trying to help that bird!" Harry yelled with a renewed voice. "What Sebastian was doing to it was immoral and inhumane! That curse should never be used! Anything that causes torture should _never_ be used!"

"Sebastian's spell is what can save you if you're ever attacked by a Chimera or anything just as dangerous. This isn't a spell of torture, but a spell for protection." Tom reasoned, quickly coming to Sebastian's defense. "You should be grateful that he would even show it to you." That last sneer angered Harry enough to push Tom away so that he fell from his arms. Being pushed away was something that Tom Riddle wasn't known for taking lightly, so it was just as well that Professor Slughorn interjected before anything more could occur.

"Now students, I think that's enough for today. We'll resume this meeting some other day. Harry and Tom, please stay."

Eileen left with a crowd of girls and Myrtle left with Olive pulling her hair behind her. Sebastian and Xavier left reluctantly; not wanting to leave Tom's side, but unable to disobey a teacher. They decided to wait in the hall for Tom and Harry to come out.

Harry tried to stay as far as possible from Tom, brushing at his robes where the wizard had held him. "Harry, I know you may not be used to Hogwarts, but you must learn to not interfere with the other students." And now Slughorn was lecturing him? For doing a good deed? For doing the right thing?!

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Harry objected. "The Cruciatus Curse is an Unforgivable Curse! Just like the Imperius Curse!"

Tom then looked over at Harry quizzically. "How do you know the names of Sebastian and Xavier's curses? They never mentioned the names."

Harry panicked at his words, mentally hitting himself for letting it slip out. "Now's not the time, Tom." Thankfully, Slughorn resumed speaking, but that didn't mean that Tom wasn't watching Harry. "Harry, Dippet has told me that you are going to be here for awhile and that if you are having any troubles that I should do anything I can to help you."

"Yes, sir." Harry assumed that he was talking about his pathetic performance in potions.

"Which is why Mr. Riddle will be tutoring you."

"What…?" Harry had to have misheard or it must have been some sort of cruel joke.

"No."

"Excuse me, Mr. Riddle?"

"No." Tom repeated, crossing his arms. "Harry has no chance of becoming better, even with my aid."

"I don't want or _need_ your help." Harry shot back, scowling at his nemesis.

"Good, because you're not getting it."

"Because I don't want it!"

The two bickered like small children, getting on Slughorn's nerves. "Tom, I wasn't asking you tutor Harry. I'm telling you that you must teach Harry to successfully create an advanced level potion by the end of the week or I will fail both of you. I honestly don't want to do this to you Tom, but it's orders that I cannot disobey. Good luck." He placed a hand on Tom shoulder and whispered in his ear so Harry couldn't hear. "You're going to need it."

Having just been told what to do, Tom glared at Harry and stormed out of the room. Professor Slughorn sighed and rubbed his temples, hating treating one of his most prized students like that.

"Um…Professor?" He looked at Harry who was still standing there. "I want to leave."

"It's alright to go, Mr. Potter."

"No. I mean, I want to leave this time…"

"Harry," Slughorn let out another sigh and sat in his comfortable chair "Tempus Inconcessus is a spell that utilizes a wizard's powerful magical abilities. To think that you were able to cast it and not die is surprising. But, the spell also uses the help of a potion. The potion is what concentrates that strong magic, focusing it on that one person and ensuring the safety of them. Your performance today was not up to standard, Harry. Yet, you were able to use the Tempus potion to come here. How well you created that potion is something only you would know." Harry tried to recall, but couldn't remember much. The potion had enwrapped him with the strange light that had brought him here, blocking all other visual senses. "The spell is as old as time and has major flaws in it because of its age. Such as the fact that you can never return to your time, Harry…I'm sorry."

"But there has to be a way! I have to go back and kill Voldemort!"

"Voldemort? Harry, you shouldn't speak of the future to anyone, including myself. By you telling us anything, the timeline could be altered for the worst."

"It can't get any worse! Professor, there must be a way!" An idea struck Harry. "Maybe if I—"

"No, Harry! You cannot do anything here that can alter time! You are merely here to complete the intention stated while casting the spell and that's all."

"I'm sorry, Professor. But he must be stopped." Harry left the Slughorn's office and the Potions class.

Thoughts needed to be recollected, but Harry was never given that chance. As soon as he put on foot outside of the class, he was tackled by a rush of blond hair. His current state of aggravation and confusion let Harry feel the need of someone to hold; to make the confusion go away. He almost felt vulnerable.

"What's wrong?" Xavier asked when Harry didn't push him away.

"I'm forced to tutor him." Tom answered for Harry.

"What? Unfair! I've been wanting you to teach me for as long as I can remember." Xavier whined.

"But you wanted Tom to teach you _other_ things." Sebastian chimed in.

"It's still unfair that Harry gets to be with Tom all by himself…Can I watch?" Xavier batted his lashes at Tom, pleading to be with him.

"No," Sebastian pulled Xavier off of Harry and dragged him to the Slytherin dorms "so leave them alone, nong."

Harry wished that they had stayed, because now he was left alone with the Dark Lord. Neither one of them exchanged words or even looked at each other. Harry knew why he was ignoring Tom, but he wasn't sure why Tom was doing the same to him. Tom constantly belittled him and mocked his intelligence. But Harry wished that that was the only reason.

Upon arrival at Hogwarts, even though Harry knew who Tom was, he couldn't see him as the being that would later threaten the world. His thoughts of being thrown back in time had muddled his judgment. Now, the realization that the Dark Lord was standing next to him and going to tutor him in potions was sinking in. The same wizard that had killed his parents, his friends, and anyone who got in his way. The wizard whose very name was feared and made people cower. The very person who tried to take his life when Harry was nothing more than an infant.

"Why are you shaking?"

Harry jolted back to reality, realizing that he was glaring at the floor and his fists were clenched so tight that it was making his arm shake. Harry wanted to say how much he hated Tom. How he wanted Tom to get just what he deserved. He wanted to be the one to kill him and finally end this nightmare. Because that's what Harry knew this had to be. A nightmare.

"Let's go to the library." So used to giving orders and having them obeyed, Tom expected Harry to follow him without question, but the young wizard didn't budge. "Potter, let's go."

"Draco?" Again, Tom called Harry while the wizard was in deep thought, making Harry believe that he was back at his own time.

"Who's Draco? An old lover from your other school?"

"No…" _'But even Draco would be better than having to be here.' _Thought Harry. "I'm not gay."

"Says the boy that's trying to steal my boyfriend."

"I'm not trying to take Xavier. He's the one who's—never mind. There's no talking to you."

"Xavier is too much in love with me to go for you."

"How can he love someone who beats him and causes him pain?" Although Xavier wasn't Harry's favorite person in the world, no one deserved to be treated so badly.

"For the same reason that you cannot choose who you fall in love with…"

Such words coming from the future Dark Lord left Harry with nothing more to say. To think that Tom even had emotions was something Harry didn't want to believe, because that would mean that he was human. And Harry couldn't think of Tom as human, not after all the things he's done.

The rest of the way, Harry stared at his feet as they followed Tom up the moving stairs. They passed by portraits that whispered things that Harry couldn't make out and into the library's hall on the fourth floor. As they entered, Harry looked around the maze of books, seeing everything was unchanged.

There were shelves upon shelves completely filled with books. The rows of bookshelves seemed endless making it seem almost impossible to find a specific book. Tom walked down one row and into the restricted section. Harry wasn't sure if they were allowed in there, but he hadn't followed the rules that much before. Tom searched the shelves and pulled out "Moste Potent Potions".

"Polyjuice Potion…" Harry muttered to himself, reminiscing about using the same book with Hermione and Ron to create a Polyjuice potion to turn them in Crabbe and Goyle.

"Polyjuice Potion is childish," Tom said while opening up the book, "We won't be doing that one. If you want to impress Slughorn, you're going to have to create an exalting potion." He stopped on a page, following the words with his finger. "How about the "Tempus Inconcessus"?"

Harry made no response, knowing that he had already let too much slip out in front of Tom.

Tom read on about the effects of the spell and what was needed to perform it. "This looks too complicated for you." And he flipped the page. "This is interesting," His eyes scanned the page. "How about a love potion? "Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in the world. It will make the drinker obsessively infatuated with the target."" He quoted and waited for Harry to say something.

"A love potion? That doesn't sound very impressive."

"But it could be useful for later." Tom smirked and closed the book, taking it with him to a table outside the restricted area. He sat down and reopened to the page, pulling out a piece of parchment, a quill, and an ink bottle. He scribbled down the ingredients and the instructions of how to create the Amortentia. "Sit down." He ordered without looking up from his writings.

Harry remained standing, the commands of the Dark Lord being ignored. The wizard's point seemed to have been made and Tom walked over to Harry and repeated, "Sit down."

"No." Harry stood tall and firm, his gaze not succumbing to Tom's.

"Sit or I'll make you sit." He threatened. When Harry made no attempt to take a seat, Tom pulled out his wand and annoyingly cast, "Imperio!" Tom used Xavier's spell and grinned as Harry's body froze. "Sit down." Tom commanded with the spell.

Harry, however, refused to obey. Tom would not tell him what to do, not now or in the future. Harry fought against the curse with strength that had left him when Xavier used it. He could see the surprise in Tom's eyes when Harry defied the unbreakable spell. But that surprise was quickly replaced with anger and Tom withdrew his wand.

"I guess Xavier is just better than you." Harry

"No, he's not." Tom tried to not let the insult bother him. "It's just his spell, so it's natural that it would be stronger when he uses it. A wizard's own spell is more powerful when that wizard uses it. But still, for you to break it…I'm telling Xavier to fix his spell, there's obviously something wrong with it. That reminds me. You know of the Imperius Curse and Cruciatus Curse." Tom recalled. "I'm assuming you know my spell too?"

"What? Your I'm-a-ssssss Curse?" Harry froze. He knew that he had just insulted Tom…

"Did you just speak Parseltongue?" and he knew that Tom understood him. "You're a Parselmouth?" Tom stepped closer and Harry stepped back.

The snake-language replaced Harry's common English one without his knowing and became stronger in the presence of another Parselmouth. "No, I'm not!" Harry could've been more convincing if he wasn't responding in the tongue.

Tom switched languages, now speaking like the snakes to see if Harry would understand him. "You're a bad liar, Potter."

The ability always came natural when Harry was in the presence of a snake, and Tom was the closest thing to that. "Okay fine, I'm a Parselmouth!"

"You shouldn't sound so ashamed of it. Being a Parselmouth is a rare gift, given only to those who are worthy enough to possess it." Tom's tongue hissed, sounding both threatening and deadly without meaning to. "Be proud, Harry. You just gained some respect."

"I don't want your respect." Harry hissed right back.

"What's wrong, Potter? What is it about me that you don't like?" Tom asked, "There's not one person in this school that doesn't grovel at my feet or praise my name, except you." Tom cornered Harry between an aisle of books with a dead end. "I'm perfect in ever way and have done nothing wrong." Harry refused to tremble or show his fear. "Why do you hate me?" He looked Harry in the eyes, still speaking the language of snakes.

At that moment, Harry wanted to yell out exactly why. That Tom will kill his parents and tried to kill him, marking him for life with a scar that reminded him of his parent's death every day. That Tom will mercilessly kill wizards and humans just for his own self gain. He wanted to scream that the only reason he was here was because Tom killed his best friend!

But he didn't say either of those things. "Because…never mind." He hardly said anything at all, speaking plain, old English again.

"You're stupid, Potter." Tom stepped away from Harry, finally giving him some room. He leaned against a shelf and returned to speaking normally also. "You shouldn't keep things to yourself. I find things out eventually." That almost sounded like a threat, but Tom returned back to the table.

"You shouldn't think so highly of yourself." Harry sat at the other end of the table, as far away from Tom as possible, but still able to see the potions book.

"It's not just of me. I think very highly of Sebastian and Xavier; even you." Tom continued writing, unable to see the surprise look on Harry's face.

"Me?"

Tom nodded absentmindedly. "Well, your potion-making skills are horrible, but that Patronus of yours was actually well performed. And your ability to speak Parseltongue is astounding."

"Is that a compliment? From the great Tom Riddle?" Harry sarcastically remarked, not sure where his joking comments came from. Tom's Patronus then popped into Harry's mind. A long, silver snake that had looked nothing like the demonic ones he was known for. It was majestic, beautiful even, but Harry would never allow himself to say that out loud. "Why did you stop Xavier from kissing me?"

Tom stopped writing and looked up at Harry. "I wasn't stopping him. I was stopping you from kissing him. I told you before to stay away from my boyfriends. I wasn't just going to sit and watch you kiss Xavier."

"I didn't want to kiss him!" Harry objected loudly earning him a shush from the librarian.

"Yes you did." Tom stubbornly responded.

"No, I didn't! Why does everyone think I'm gay?!" The librarian silenced him again also giving him an awkward stare.

"Who ever you said you were gay?" Tom left the quill in the ink bottle and blew on the parchment to dry it faster. "Here, put this back." He handed Harry the book and put his things away. When Harry returned, Tom handed him the paper. "Memorize it. I'm going to quiz you on it later and then we'll try to create it." Without saying anything, Tom got up and Harry followed him back to their dorm rooms.

Tom opened the wall with the password and walked to their bedroom where Sebastian and Xavier were busy arguing with each other.

"I say Harry is bigger!" Xavier shouted.

"How would you know? You've never even seen it, Nong!" Sebastian had his arms crossed.

"Stop calling me that!"

"Nong Nong Nong!"

"Both of you shut it." Tom scolded as if they were children, but his punishment would be fiercer if they disobeyed. It was that fear that quieted them and forget what they were disputing about.

"How was potion teaching?" Sebastian asked Tom, dangling his feet over the rim of the bed.

"It was interesting." Was all that Tom said. Not Harry's ability to speak Parseltongue or their discussion about Xavier.

"Harry, we have to go to our next class." Xavier got his books and grabbed Harry's hand.

Harry let himself be dragged out of the room once more and taken to his Advanced Charms class. They made it passed the Slytherin hallway and up many of flight of stairs before Harry crashed into something as hard as rock and fell backwards.

"Hey, watch where you're going, Tiny!" Xavier yelled at the person Harry had crashed into. "I know you can't see us from way up there, but keep out of a Slytherin's way!"

The boy towered over Xavier, "Yeh watch where yer goin'! Yeh crashed into me!" Harry rose to his feet with great speed, staring at the boy. He removed his glasses, wiped them, and stared again. "What are yeh lookin' at?"

"Hagrid?" Harry stared at the mammoth boy standing before him, striking an uncanny resemblance to Rubeus Hagrid, but it couldn't be him…could it?

"Aye? Who are yeh?"

"You know this oaf?" Xavier asked bitterly.

"What'd yeh call me?" Hagrid puffed out his chest angrily, seeming to get even bigger than he already was.

Xavier went to reach for his wand, but Harry stopped him, "Xavier, don't." Harry looked at Hagrid's young face of thirteen. His hair was grown out, but didn't rival what it would later become. There were signs of a beard that would later become that large bushel Harry was so used to seeing.

Just seeing the half-giant filled Harry with an inner joy that hadn't been felt since he came to this time. Finally, there was someone he could actually talk to. Someone he was actually friends with.

"Outta of me way, Slytherin scum." Hagrid pushed past Harry, knocking him down, and stomped off to his class. At that moment, Harry felt like all hope was lost.

"It's me, Harry…" he muttered, knowing that his words weren't heard.

"Harry, why didn't you do anything to that giant? I would have jinxed him good! Why did you stop me?"

"I know that person."

"Him? Don't tell me he's your…no way!" Xavier stuck out his tongue in disgust and acted as if he was about to throw up.

It was years with the Weasley twins, Fred and George, that gave Harry the sense enough to know what Xavier was inferring to. "Not everyone I know is my boyfriend! He just used to be a friend."

"A Gryffindor? Us Slytherins are supposed hate them you know." Xavier stated. "Tom wouldn't like it if he knew you were friends with one of _them_."

"I don't care what Tom thinks." Harry tried to forget about Hagrid's hatred towards him and resumed heading towards his Charms class.

"He _really_ wouldn't like it if he knew you didn't like him." Xavier followed right behind Harry.

"He already knows that I don't like him. He thinks that I like you though."

"You mean…you don't?" Xavier stopped suddenly, making Harry stop and turn around. There was a sad pout on his face along with puppy dog eyes that stared right at Harry.

"Not like that Xavier, you know that. You're okay," Harry sort of complimented ",for a Malfoy." Harry chuckled to himself and ran off.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Xavier growled and chased after a fleeing Harry. His long robes hindered his speed, but he eventually caught up with Harry and tackled him to the floor. "The Malfoy family is well-known for their brilliance and dashing good looks." He announced. "So I'm not going to let you go for insulting the family name."

"I'm terribly sorry. Forgive me?" Harry played innocent and made no attempt to escape from Xavier's position over him.

Seeing as he hadn't been pushed off yet, Xavier leaned closer to Harry, "Gladly" he whispered. Harry saw what was coming and instinctively turned his face, feeling the soft wetness of Xavier's lips on his cheeks.

"Xavier…get off." Knowing that he had done something wrong, Xavier did as he was told and helped Harry up. Neither said anything about it and they went into their Charms class. They were the last to arrive and two seats together was impossible to fine. Thankfully, Harry went his separate ways from Xavier and took a seat in the corner. Xavier was usually the one to distract him, but it was something else that made him not know what the professor was talking about.

The uncomfortableness that Harry always felt when Xavier was around had disappeared. It was probably because they had all their class together or that they spent so much time with the other. Harry wanted to believe that, truly he did. Yet, that didn't seem to feel like the reason.

Xavier was growing on Harry in more ways than just a strange friendship. The constant affection, taunting, and teasing had taken its toll on Harry. But a guy? A Slytherin? A Malfoy?! All of it seemed highly unlikely. Then again, Harry had faced stranger things in the past. This would just be something more to add to the list.

His eyes wandered to where Xavier sat, all the way near the front. The blond was doodling something on a piece of parchment to ease his boredom. From what Harry caught between his in-and-out attention span, Professor Hotot was explaining how even though Charms are used mainly on objects, they can have devastating effects on people depending on the charm cast. He continued to drone on monotonously, quickly losing Harry's attention.

Sleep would have captured Harry if not for the balled up paper that came flying at him and hit him in the face. He searched the room to see where it had come from and saw Xavier's smiling face before it resumed to "paying attention". Harry opened up the note and grimaced at the doodle and note.

There was a picture of a poorly drawn Xavier with his arms linked with an even worse looking Harry. On the bottom it said: _Harry Malfoy._

Picking up his eager-feather quill, Harry scratched out the words and scribbled something else. He tossed it back to Malfoy who caught him giddily and opened it with much enthusiasm.

He read the contents and looked up at Harry. Xavier put the note away before Hotot could see it and take it away, because this was one note he didn't want anyone seeing, especially Tom. He took one more quick glance at it just to see if he wasn't seeing things. But it wasn't a trick of the eye. The note really said: _Xavier Potter._

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Okay, um…yeah, I don't really like pairing OCs with real characters…so don't get flustered if you think that _that_ is actually going to happen. Then again, if you guys want too, I'll make it happen, but this is a Tom/Harry fic and it shall always be as such! Eventually…well, this chappie was just to sort of bring Harry to the dark side (by that I mean, my side!). Anywho, please review because those seriously give me a lot of motivation to continue writing. See how I updated earlier than usual? It's because you guys reviewed and therefore I love you all! Ask me questions, give comments, and/or criticism. Thanks so much! 


	6. Infatuations

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 5 – Infatuations_

**Disclaimer: **I found the greatest Harry Potter yaoi on Deviantart, but I didn't own it…just like the characters and book rights. Curse you Jebus!

**Warning: **This chapter will contain some…dun dun dun ::dramatic suspense:: Stuff! Shocking I know. It will have stuff as well as slash yumminess and Tom and Harry flirtingness! Wootness!

**Author's Note: **100 REVIEWS! I can't believe it's finally here! I didn't think that this story would gain so many. I think I'm going to cry now! It's been a rough month for me and just seeing all of your kind reviews helped me get through it. This chapter is longer than the other ones…but not by a lot…but still long enough! I actually think that my chapter lengths are adequate. Not too long and not too short…I'm rambling now. Anywho, thank you all so much for the reviews and helping me achieve a new level of success! You guys truly make writing worthwhile.

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Professor Hotot was a dull, old man who was going to retire after that year. His hunched-back made him look shorter than he appeared and the long white beard made him look even older. He had bushy white eyebrows that hid his eyes and a long bumpy nose protruded from below them. The long, gray robe he wore covered the frail body that lied beneath it. With a shaking hand, he pulled out many cameras from beneath his desk. 

The cameras didn't look like the typical cameras that the reporters used, and Professor Hotot explained why, "These are Muggle cameras given to us by the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts. They confiscated them from some rapscallions who jinxed the cameras to capture ghosts on film. Gave the Muggles quite a scare, I say." He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the droplets of sweat from his brow. "Unlike our cameras, Muggle film does not have the ability to give movement to a picture. They have something else for that called a "camcorder". Write that down, children, it will be on a test." The students scribbled down the word that had no meaning to them and continued attempting to stay awake.

Professor Hotot held a camera and handed it to the nearest student. Old age prevented him from moving much, so he continued to hand cameras to that student who then passed them down to everyone else. "You will learn how to make any unmoving picture come to life. This is the charm used on all the film that appears in textbooks, posters, and the Daily Proph—." A sudden coughing fit attacked Hotot, waking the students that had fall asleep. He pulled out his handkerchief again and coughed right into it. It wasn't until a few more minutes later that he regained his composure and had the idea to conjure up a goblet of water. "What was I saying?" he asked the class, bits of water clung to his mustache.

"You were about to let us leave." Yelled one student.

"Ah yes, but before you do, I must give you your assignment." Most of the class groaned, but were also glad that Hotot's senility made him gullible. "You will all take pictures with the Muggle cameras and try to give them motion. The incantation is in your textbooks. Tomorrow, you will show me what you have taken and then we'll learn how to give those pictures color!" He said excitedly and dismissed the class, despite them not having been there for very long.

The rush of students was to Harry's advantage, giving him good cover from Xavier's sight. The note had been a mistake. What was Harry thinking? It was just something spur on the moment; just playful flattery. But Harry knew that Xavier wouldn't take it that way, but as something much more meaningful. And that was precisely why he was one of the first out of the room and ran off to the place he knew Xavier wouldn't look.

The library.

With the camera swaying back and forth over Harry's neck, he sped to the place he had just been to with Tom. A few students were sitting there when he arrived, reading up on their classes. Having nothing better to do, Harry followed their example and passed through aisles of books in search of something to read.

_Mystical Creatures and Their Eating Habits. Memoirs of a Dark Wizard. Magical Ailments and Treatments. Auror Training. _

The final book caught Harry's attention and he pulled it out. It had been Harry's dream for awhile to become an Auror, a wizard who battles against the Dark Arts. Many have told him that he would make a great Auror, but those people were gone now. Harry had been promised help in achieving his ambition, but who was there to help him now?

He opened up the book, reading about the intense training an Auror faces. It seemed that if he ever wanted to become one, he would need to improve his Potions ability. Harry's skill at Defense Against the Dark Arts was natural and his Charms ability wasn't lacking either. Transfiguration was difficult, but not impossible. What seemed hopeless was Potions. And there wouldn't be any improvement without the aid of Tom.

Harry continued to read, deeply interested in the career, until the library emptied. It was the librarian, Barda, who forced Harry to leave because she was too tired to wait for him. Harry checked out the book and headed back to the Slytherin dorms.

Spending the day away from Slytherins had actually brightened up Harry's day and put him at ease. The stress that had filled Harry was now only that of school, which reminded him that he needed to take a picture.

He saw a portrait of a young boy with cat ears and a tail, speaking with another of its kind. Harry snapped his camera, blinding the Nekomancers momentarily. They hissed at Harry, bearing their fangs and pawing at the canvas. Even though Harry knew the Nekomancers that threatened him were only paintings, he still power walked away from them and from their ominous eyes.

Harry took three more pictures on his way back to the dormitories. The one of two spouses arguing over lawn furniture and of the flaming chicken feeding its young were all painted. But the final one was of Olive using her wand to make the floor beneath Myrtle slippery so that she would fall. Harry's camera flashed just as Myrtle hit the floor.

Olive Hornby fled just as Harry ran to the girl's aid. "Are you alright?" He helped her get to her feet and could already see her eyes redden with tears.

She nodded and picked up her glasses from the floor. "Thank you." She thanked and looked up at her savior. Myrtle's glasses intensified the glowing green eyes of Harry's. A blush and giggle followed that and she looked away. "I'm Myrtle." She stuck out a shy hand which Harry took.

"Harry Potter. Pleased to meet you, Myrtle." He greeted as if it were the first time they met, which it was, but only for her.

"Harry Potter…" She repeated to herself, completely infatuated with the older student.

"Um…I have to go now." Harry pried his hand away from Myrtle's surprisingly strong grip and walked away from her lingering stares.

Harry reached the brick wall and said the password, "Serpent." The wall let him pass and Harry walked into the Slytherin Common Room. A few of the students were finishing their homework and others just chatted. It was a comfortable and large room that was incomparable to his old Gryffindor Common Room. This was the only aspect of the Slytherin House that Harry actually preferred over Gryffindor even though he hated to admit it.

He walked up the stairs, to his room and was greeted by the angered stares of Sebastian and Xavier. Tom was there too, but his stare was more of threatening glare. "Hi?" Harry waved at them and went to put away the camera and book.

"Where have you been?" Xavier asked as if he were Harry's mother. "We've been worried sick!"

"I was at the library."

"You could have at least told me where you were going. And why did you leave Charms class so quickly?" Xavier continued to play his game of twenty questions.

"I wanted to catch up on some homework." Harry lied.

"We have the same classes. We weren't given much homework." Xavier sound sincerely hurt for not being informed of Harry's whereabouts.

"Look, I just needed some time to think. I don't have to tell you everything, you know." Harry sounded angrier than he intended and that silenced Xavier.

"We were just worried, mate." Sebastian moved to Xavier's bed and rubbed his back, consoling the blond who was hurt from Harry's words. "_Xavier_ was really worried. He insisted we don't crash until you got back."

"Next time, don't waste our time." Tom pulled the covers from his bed and stripped down to his boxer shorts. "You better know those Amortentia ingredients by tomorrow, Potter." Tom said good night to the others and turned the lights off with his wand.

Harry could hear Sebastian whispering something to Xavier before going to his own bed. "G'night." He muttered.

Xavier shifted in his bed, but didn't say anything, leaving Harry alone in the dark.

Still not sure of what he had done wrong, Harry followed their example and took off his glasses, put them on the night stand, and fell asleep.

Harry awoke alone with Tom sitting on his bed with the _Auror Training_ book opened. Instinctively, Harry reached for his glasses and put them on, squinting as he tried to fathom the time.

"It's a little around six." Tom said, seeming to have read his mind. "You want to be an Auror? You're joking." Tom laughed to himself and continued flipping through the pages. "You're good, Potter, but not _that_ good." He closed the book and tossed it to Harry. "Speaking of you, Potter…" Tom pulled out a piece of parchment and tossed it to Harry.

Still half-asleep, Harry took Tom's insults and the paper flung at him. He read it and immediately recognized as his own penmanship.

"Read it." Tom said.

"_Xavier Potter._" Harry read aloud and crumpled the paper, cursing at Xavier for not having trashed it.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Tom's tone was dark and menacing; nothing like his handsome appearance. "Potter, I asked you a question." Harry shook his head. "Xavier's going to have to be punished…again."

Harry's eyes opened wide and searched for blond hair. He saw that Xavier was still fast asleep in his bed, peacefully and radiantly.

"I've been wanting to try out my spell on someone." Tom glowered.

The threat had made Harry wide awake, "You can't kill him!"

"Kill? Who said I was going to kill him?" Harry's eyes opened wide once more, knowing that he had fallen into Tom's verbal trap. "You know something, Potter. Something that I don't and it's bothering me."

"You can't know everything now can you?" Harry thought that the best way to not reveal his self was to feed Tom what he wanted to know. And Harry knew he should only give a taste, not the meal.

"That's where you're wrong. I know more about you than you believe." Harry raised an eyebrow, telling Tom to prove it. "Harry James Potter, a 7th year Hogwarts student that transferred here from nowhere…" Tom thought it best to switch to Parseltongue now, "…and a Parselmouth who is currently infatuated with my boyfriend and me."

Harry responded in the same language, "Don't flatter yourself too much, Tom. And that note to Xavier meant nothing. I was just goofing around."

"It's not nice to toy with other's feelings." Tom hissed without taking a breath.

"You would know, wouldn't you?"

Tom smiled and left Harry's bed. He grabbed a towel and went into the bathroom to shower, but not before giving Harry a strange look.

"What were you two talking about?"

Harry started and saw that Xavier was awake. "You heard that?" Xavier nodded. "So…you understand, right? That note didn't mean anything. I really don't think of you in that way."

"What?" Xavier asked as if hearing this news for the first time.

"Didn't you hear me tell Tom that we were just goofing around?" Harry asked.

"I heard you two talking, but I didn't understand a word…You're a Parselmouth too?"

Harry hadn't realized that most of the conversation with Tom had been in another language. So that left him on awkward ground with Xavier. He didn't answer Xavier, but it was a rhetorical question anyway.

Harry thought that Xavier would have been angry at him for reasons unknown, but it was quite the opposite. Quicker than a snitch, Xavier was out of his bed and on top of Harry, straddling his hips over the wizard's groin beneath the sheets. "Parseltongue is so arousing. Say something to me in it."

Xavier got what he asked for and heard the sensual hisses of Harry's tongue and voice, coming together to create the mysterious language of the snakes. "What did you say?" He asked Harry, grinning madly.

"I said, get off of me!" Harry thrust his hips upward to get Xavier off, but it had the opposite effect. Xavier emitted a large moan and held tight onto Harry. "Weren't you listening to me before? I don't think of you in that way, Xavier."

"But that can't stop me from hoping."

Harry sighed and reached for his wand, but instead grabbed Professor Hotot's camera. It wasn't a wand, but it could still prove to be effective. He made sure the flash was on and he snapped a picture of Xavier. Their close range intensified the blinding effect and Xavier had to let go of Harry to rub his own eyes. Harry took that opportunity to get out of bad and out of Xavier's way.

"If you wanted a picture of me, all you had to do was ask." Xavier grinned and posed seductively at Harry.

Harry sighed, "You're worse than Tom. I think the only sane person here is Sebastian." It was at that moment that Sebastian decided to let out a huge snore and mumble incoherent words that didn't make any sense to either of the wizards. "I stand corrected." Harry laughed and proceeded to getting dressed.

He put on some clean robes and fixed his tie. Looking at himself in the mirror, Harry fixed his bed head as best he could and looked at his schedule. He didn't have much to do that day. Actually, he had the entire morning off. It was the end of week and his schedule gave him the freedom to enjoy the weekend. He only had Divinations in the evening.

Divinations had been one of his least favorite classes (besides Potions) in his own time, but that was mainly because of Professor Trelawny's incompetence as a seer. He hoped that this teacher would be better than her and not a fraud.

Tom came out of the bathroom door, letting out steam from the hot water. He was already dressed in his formal robes and had a badge with the letter "P" on his chest. His hair was still dripping from the shower, but a mumble and his wand took care of that.

"You're a Prefect?" Harry asked, shocked but not surprised as well.

Tom nodded absentmindedly. "There's a meeting for all the new Prefects and Head Boys," said Tom while tying his shoes "and I'm allowed _one_ guest." Xavier's attention was suddenly caught and he groveled at Tom's feet. "You've been bad, Xavier, I cannot take you."

"But Tom!" whined Xavier.

"No. And since Sebastian is still asleep, I guess that just leaves, Harry." Tom grinned menacingly.

"Sorry, I can't. I have a lot of classes today." said Harry.

"No you don't. We don't have anything until after lunch." Xavier reminded, earning him an angered glare from Harry.

"Then let's go." Tom was already halfway out the door when he saw Harry's camera sitting on the dresser beside his bed. He picked it up curiously, examining it carefully, "A Muggle camera?" He scowled.

"It's homework." said Harry.

"It's Muggle technology." Tom tossed it on the bed, fighting the urge to throw it on the floor and smile as it shattered into a thousand pieces. "Just keep it out of my sight." But he was merciful and left to the Common Room and out of the Slytherin house with Harry close by.

Harry stayed a few steps behind Tom, feeling uneasy around the wizard. Why couldn't he have just taken Xavier? Or woken up Sebastian? If Harry didn't know any better, he would have thought that Tom _wanted_ to take Harry.

They climbed up the stairs leading away from their dorms, jumping over every few steps as to not fall through them. This was the design of Hogwarts castle and it hadn't changed in past, present, or future. The portraits grew less dark and morbid as they got farther away from the Slytherin house. Harry could see the Bloody Baron, the ghost of the Slytherin house, floating overhead and chasing after Peeves the Poltergeist.

Nearly-Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, was chatting with some of the first years, demonstrating the reason for his name. Some trembled as he removed his head partially, and others giggled in amusement. Harry found himself reminiscing to the time he was a first year at Hogwarts. It was hard to believe that seven years had past since he first found out he was a wizard.

It was now his final year at Hogwarts and Harry didn't even have his best friends to enjoy it with him. Ron was dead and nothing would bring him back. This entire trip was in vain and Harry cursed at himself for having failed. Now he was trapped…with Tom.

Harry thought of Hermione, the one who was always rational. Her constant nagging at him for not doing his homework or for procrastinating. Harry never thought that he would miss that so much. How he wished she was right there with her head full of never-ending knowledge. Harry knew that there was no way to return to his own time now, but Hermione still would have tried to find a way. She always did in the end.

But as Harry recalled more events in his life, the more depressing they became. Draco constantly appeared in his mind, cracking some smug joke at his expense. Then there was Snape…

Harry felt his eyes redden with anger at the thought of his old Potions teacher. Not only was Snape someone who had made Harry's life miserable, but he had ruined his future by turning traitor. Dumbledore was no help anymore, not even in this time. All seemed hopeless right after the final battle at Hogwarts. Dumbledore had been Harry's ray of light, but that light now faded and Harry's hope along with it.

"You alright, Harry?" Tom had his hand on Harry's forehead. "You've been freezing up like that a lot." Tom took out his wand and was about to chant something, but Harry stopped him.

"I'm fine." He said. "Just thinking."

"About what?" asked Tom curiously.

Harry looked at Tom; his perfect grades, handsome qualities, and the immense magical quality. It was all a façade. Nobody really knew who Tom really was. Harry knew. He knew what was going to happen.

"Nothing."

Tom raised a brow and then shrugged his shoulders. They had arrived at their destination and Tom opened the door for Harry who went in first. There were ten prefects, including Tom, and Harry saw that Eileen was Head Girl. The Head Boy was a tall seventh year that reminded Harry a lot about Percy Weasley.

The other Slytherin prefect was Garnet Lestrange, a girl that wouldn't stop staring at Tom and deeply admired the wizard. From Ravenclaw were Amy Marton and Gregory Trolin. Hufflepuff proudly showcased Rika Menzies and Torvald Omery and a sixth year Preston Indigno. From Gryffindor, Harry was surprised to see that Minerva McGonagall, his old Transfigurations professor, was the sixth year prefect. He didn't realize that she had come to school with Tom. She had never mentioned it before. The other two prefects were Vincent Bael and Rheine Springhead.

Harry searched, but didn't see any of their guests. They all looked at him and saw that he wasn't a prefect and gave him an awkward look. McGonagall lowered her trademark square glasses to get a better look at Harry. She noticed the scar on his forehead and gazed at it curiously.

Armando Dippet then appeared in the center of the room in his long gray robes. "Welcome new Prefects. Allow me to first introduce the Head Boy—from Gryffindor, Ryan Weasley." There was a small applause for him, mostly from Harry who would applaud for any ancestor of his best friend, but it appeared he wasn't that popular. "And Head Girl—from Slytherin, Eileen Prince." She nodded her head and attempted a smile, but it came out more crooked than intended. "All of you are here today because you have been chosen to be the representatives of your Houses. To be displayed as good role-models for the other students and to enforce and abide by the rules. It is your duty to—Harry?" He finally noticed the person out of place, "What are you doing here? This meeting is for Prefects only, boy."

"I brought him here, sir." Tom spoke just as Harry was about to answer. "He wanted to see the Prefect's meeting and insisted that I bring him."

Dippet opened his mouth as if to object, but then closed it. "Very well…" He was about to say more, but again, thought better of it. "As I was saying," He avoided Tom's gaze. "The Prefects at Hogwarts shall be respected and are the examples for witches and wizards alike. Now—let us feast until our robes no longer fit." His cheerful smile made his cheeks bulge and redden and everyone helped themselves to the food that magically appeared on the table before them.

As Harry reached for a drumstick he sneered at Tom, "You said you could bring a guest!"

"Really? I don't recall." Tom was filling his plates with pumpkin tarts and other sweets. "You just followed me here."

"No, you dragged me here!" Harry said.

"I didn't force you to come, Potter." Tom avoided Dippet's gaze as well as Lestrange who still could not keep her eyes off of him. "I just said that Xavier wasn't allowed, Sebastian was asleep, and that you had the option of attending the Prefect's Feast with me."

"But…" Harry was about to object and say that Tom was bending the truth, but then McGonagall came up beside Harry, watching him beneath her square-framed glasses.

"Excuse me, Harry, right. But that scar—it's fascinating. Can I…can I touch it?" McGonagall was already reaching out to Harry's forehead, but Tom felt that contact wasn't needed.

"You don't need to touch it." He said, grabbing McGonagall's hand. "Harry doesn't like people touching it."

McGonagall looked over at Tom who was holding Harry very possessively. "I'd like to hear that from Harry." She glared at Tom, not wavering as Tom returned it.

"It's okay. You can touch it." He was used to people gawking at it, but not really touching it. His body shivered as Minerva McGonagall brushed her youthful fingers across his lightning bolt scar. She resembled the person she was going to become, which was a kind but stern professor.

"How did you get it?" She asked and made a concentrated face, wanting to know the details.

Tom was also listening, just as curious as Minerva but not showing it. "I, uh…" Harry wasn't sure whether to tell some incredible lie, or the truth. "…A wizard gave it to me. He killed my parents and then tried to kill me when I was young." The truth had decided to come out, but not fully.

"I'm so sorry." It wasn't an apology that she was saying, but a way to show sympathy. "I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that…" She paused, "Professor Trelawney made a prophecy about me."

"Trelawney?!" Harry asked, shocked.

"Yes, Orpheus Trelawney, she's the granddaughter of Cassandra Trelawney, the famous seer. She had been given similar gifts as her grandmother and has only been wrong once in her predictions. The other day, I went to her office for tutoring because I thought her class was all rubbish. I always thought she just got lucky with her predictions, but when I saw her, her voice deepened and echoed, very different than her usual voice. Her eyes lost their pupils and were fogged and she pulled out a deck of tarot cards. She put some down and flipped one over that read '_The Wheel of Fortune'. _She said it meant that there was be quick comings from superior forces that are out of my control. Then '_The Hierophant' _which she said was a description of me; obedient and always following the rules." Minerva scoffed as she said that and rolled her eyes. "Finally, she showed me '_The Tower_'…this one tell about chaos…a crisis that's going to occur. I'm not sure if I believe her or not, but as soon as I saw your scar, it reminded me of what she said. I don't believe in Divinations, but still…the way she was saying it was scary."

Harry considered Trelawney's prediction and wasn't sure whether she could similar be to the fraud from his time, or to the famous one from ages back. Either way, it couldn't have been referring to him. It wasn't specific enough to really mention anyone which was the problem with tarot card readings. Their predictions were broad enough for them to come true, but still…the way Minerva described Trelawney's trance would have convinced anyone, even the skeptical McGonagall.

"You're right," Tom said "it _is _rubbish." McGonagall fixed her eyes on Tom, ignoring his handsome features and seeing his opinionated persona. "Who believes that old hag? Her grandmother's ability skipped her generation from what I've seen. Never bothered with her class, just a bunch of balderdash, I say. Now, if you're done gawking at Harry, we'll be leaving."

Without having a say in anything, Harry was pulled away from McGonagall's familiar face and away from the Prefect's Feast. Harry's objections went ignored, despite his struggle to free himself from Tom's oddly strong grip.

"Let go of me!" Harry fought, not enjoying being pulled around as much as Tom was. "Where are we going?" Tom didn't speak or acted as if he was going to. Harry reached for his wand, but changed his mind when they finally stopped. They were in the hallway leading to the Great Hall where everyone was sitting down for breakfast. Harry could see the wooden doors leading to there, but Tom didn't seem as if he was going there.

"Would you like to have your fortune told, Potter?" Harry just stared at him and Tom took it as sign to continue. He pulled out a deck of Tarot Cards from his robes and shuffled it. Using his wand, he pulled out a card and smiled at it. He flipped it over to show to Harry, "_The Lovers_."

Harry didn't need Tom to explain what the card meant. He could tell from the picture of Adam and Eve standing below an angel with flaming wings that it meant just as the name implied. But then Tom put the card back in the deck and lit it on fire with his wand. It burned quickly and turned to ashes right in the palm of his hand. "Like I said," he walked away, heading towards the Great Hall, "Tarot Cards are rubbish."

It took awhile for Harry to pull out from his daze. What had just occurred muddled Harry's thoughts. He was strongly debating going back to the dormitories and avoiding Tom for the rest of day as to no add more to his confused state.

Tom was the kind of person who liked to play with other people's minds. But he was also a master of deceiving. And Harry couldn't tell if Tom's actions were sincere or just a strange joke.

There was a tiny part of Harry, a part of him so small that he didn't even acknowledge that it had flustered when Tom pulled out _The Lovers_ card. It was that piece of Harry that had made his body tingle from Tom's touch, despite it being painfully strong. That at the moment Tom said his name, Harry wanted to fall beneath the weight of Tom's voice.

But that was just a small part of Harry.

Harry had decided to avoid Tom and retired to the Slytherin rooms. He pulled out _Auror_ _Training_ and began reading to clear his mind. Yet he found himself reading the same line over and over, unable to concentrate. Sighing, he tossed the book onto the floor and picked up the Muggle Camera. This was a last resort to rid his thoughts of Tom: Doing homework.

Hotot only wanted ten pictures, but Harry went a little overboard. By the time his Divinations class was going to begin, Harry had photographs of dancing poltergeists, Hufflepuffs falling through false steps on staircases, people picnicking on the castle grounds, bulbs attacking students in the Herbology greenhouse, of Minerva transfiguring her hand into a paw, and of Hagrid concealing something in his robes and running quickly to the Gryffindor Tower. Harry even managed to get a photo of Xavier, Sebastian, and Tom when they were walking down a hallway, deep in conversation. Harry had quickly run off after capturing them on film, but it didn't seem like his absence was missed from what he saw.

Harry had to take his camera with him to Divinations in the North Tower, just as he remembered it to be. Xavier was already sitting near the back, searching for Harry. His dark grey eyes saw Harry standing in the doorway and he flailed his arms in order to catch the wizard's attention. Unable to deny seeing Xavier, Harry sat beside him.

"Where have you been all day?" Xavier asked. "Tom's been looking for you since the Prefect's Feast."

Harry seemed to pay more attention to Xavier when he heard this. "Really?"

"Yeah, he–"

"All your Fates are sealed." Xavier was caught off by a small old woman at the front of the room. She had miniscule spectacles on the rim of her overly large nose, and a long, grey braid that went down her back. Her robes had patterns of stars and moons woven finely onto the silver fabric. "Nothing can change Fate and your Deaths have been planned out from before you were even born.

"She's creepy." Xavier whispered to Harry who agreed with a nod of his head.

"I am Professor Trelawney, your Divination instructor. Divination is a strange sect of magic that is still mysterious to many wizards of today. In the past, people worshiped the power of the seers and asked them for guidance in their daily lives. Yet, as the years progressed, the prophetic abilities diminished as well as the respect for the Divination arts. It was my grandmother, Cassandra Trelawney, who revived the positive perception people used to have on seers. My abilities are nothing compared to hers, but I _have_ been given a small morsel of her gift. Behold."

Her hand raised and the lowered, the lights along with it. The dimmed lights revealed the starry skies above the enchanted ceiling. She pulled out a deck of Tarot Cards and with the wave of her wand, they spread around her. Her body was encircled with the floating cards and, with her eyes closed, she selected one at random. She looked at the card and grinned. Her silver robes glided behind her as she walked up to where Harry and Xavier were sitting.

"This card is meant for you, Harry Potter." Professor Trelawney placed the card on the table in front of Harry. She then walked back to the front of the class and began talking about the use of Tarot Cards to foretell events of past, present, and future.

Harry blushed madly when he saw the card. Xavier saw Harry's face turn red and pried the card from Harry's fingers. "_The Lovers_?" He raised a brow. "What's this supposed to mean?" He turned it over to see if there was some sort of explanation, but was disappointed.

Harry snatched the card back and safely tucked it in his pocket. "It doesn't mean anything. It's just…rubbish."

Harry tuned Xavier out for the rest of the class, ignoring the blonde's pleas for an explanation. Finally giving up, Xavier listened as Professor Trelawney continued to explain the clarity of a Tarot Card.

The bell rung and Xavier and Harry packed away their things. They headed back to the Slytherin Dormitories, Harry still avoiding Xavier's questioning. He muttered the password and they walked through the Common Room to their room where Sebastian and Tom were deep in thought in a game of wizard's chest.

"How was Divination?" Sebastian asked as Tom destroyed his bishop.

"Harry won't tell me his future!" Xavier whined.

"That's because the future cannot be told." Tom's pawn was shattered by Sebastian's knight and his king was checked.

"But you should have seen it Tom! There was glowing lights and the room went dark and Trelawney was like 'Oooooo' and—and—and it was shiny."

"That's nice. Now go play with yourself over there—away from here." said Sebastian and surrounded Tom's king with a hoard of pawns.

"I don't have to do that by myself, I have Harry." Xavier grabbed Harry and dragged him off. "Come on, Harry. Let's go over there in the corner where we won't be _disturbed_!" Xavier spoke loudly in Tom and Sebastian's direction, hoping to get a reaction.

"_Petrificus Totalus_" Tom hand his wand outstretched and Xavier immediately froze up at the words. Becoming stiffer than a board, Xavier fell forward only to be caught safely by Harry.

"That's not very nice." Harry said, carrying Xavier to his bed.

"I'm not a nice person." said Tom as he smashed Sebastian's queen and cornering his king into the corner with his knight. "Did you memorize the Amortentia ingredients?" he asked.

"Somewhat…why?"

"Tomorrow," Tom's knight attacked the last pawn on Sebastian's board, "we're going to make the potion." Sebastian looked at the board and then at Tom and let out a groan. "Checkmate." Tom said.

"Unfair, Tom." Sebastian crossed his arms. "I never get to root you."

"Root?" Harry asked.

Tom chuckled slightly. "Would you care to join us for a rooting, Potter?"

"Uh…no thanks." Harry said, unsure of what the word even meant.

Harry got into his bed and saw that the spell on Xavier was wearing off. Xavier crept beneath his sheets and Harry removed his glass. But before he did, he could have sworn he saw Tom and Sebastian getting into the same bed. Ignoring the sight, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. Throughout the night, the moans and groans from the room pulled him from his sleep. He could hear the whisper of Tom and Sebastian's voices, calling each other's name. The squeaking of their bed kept Harry up for most of the night. And throughout it all, Harry couldn't help but feel his heart burning with the smallest sense of jealousy. At least he knew what the 'rooting' meant now.

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Next chapter, I PROMISE! Next chapter, there will be some REAL Tom and Harry going on. I'm just setting things up so that they don't crash and burn like all other relationships. Do not fret! It WILL happen in the NEXT chapter! Unless you don't review…then that'll make me too sad to write. Remember, NEXT CHAPTER for sure! Review please . 


	7. Amortentia

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 6 – Amortentia_

**Disclaimer: **Harry rhymes with hairy rhymes with berry rhymes with cherry rhymes with I don't own any of it because I'm poor.

**Warning: **This chapter will contain some guy-to-guy kissing and fondling and touching and molestation and all that jazz. So if you don't like it…then may Bob have mercy on your soul.

**Author's Note: **I promised that this chapter will _finally_ have the lovable Tom and Harry romance. But! I added a few more things…because I really couldn't control my hormones. I'm a guy! You can't expect much from me! Just expect me to crave reviews and to continue writing in return! Now read or suffer!!

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"Potter, hurry it up!"

Harry groaned and covered his head with a pillow, deafening the sounds around him. The voice called again, muffled by the pillow. He felt the cushion be pried from his hands and heard it get flung across the room. Strong arms grabbed him by the shoulders and flipped him over.

"Potter, wake up!" Tom yelled through grit teeth. "Sebastian and Xavier already left for breakfast. They're waiting for us."

"Then just go on without me." Harry grumbled and flipped back on his stomach. For a moment, he thought that Tom had left him, but he then felt his body feel as light as a feather. Opening his eyes, he saw the blurred dorm floor below him and his body floating a few feet above it.

"We have to work on that potion right after you're done stuffing that gut of yours." Tom jolted his wand, shaking Harry awake along with it. Using the Levitation Charm, Tom forced Harry to constantly bump his head on the ceiling. Then, without warning, he lifted the spell and Harry fell luckily on his bed. "You have five minutes."

Still half-asleep, Harry put his glasses on. The first robe he saw, he put on, not caring that it was wrinkled and a little too big for him. Letting out a yawn, he sluggishly followed Tom to the Grand Hall.

"What took you guys so long?" Sebastian asked, taking a sip from his pumpkin juice.

"Harry has the sleeping capability of a rock. Shocking that we made it before class started." Tom swiped a muffin from Xavier's plate and took a bite of it. Xavier didn't seem to mind.

"Well, maybe if _someone_ could have been quieter when they were _rooting_, I wouldn't have been up half of the night!" Still cranky for having been woken up so early, Harry's temper was fairly short at the moment.

"Eavesdropping is rude you know." Tom said.

"Hard not to eavesdrop when you two were being louder than Xavier's snoring!"

"Sorry, Harry. We didn't mean to keep you awake." Sebastian apologized before Tom could retort with something nasty. "We'll be quieter next time."

"Next time?!" Harry spilled his pumpkin juice as he bolted from the table. He stormed out of the Grand Hall, hearing the owls flying in to deliver their letters.

No one followed him and for that he was grateful. Without having a particular destination in mind, Harry wandered the halls of Hogwarts.

Harry wanted to blame his lack of sleep for his sudden outburst and crankiness on Tom and Sebastian, but he knew better. It wasn't the fact that he couldn't sleep the night before; it was _what_ kept him up. He knew that Tom was in a relationship with Xavier and Sebastian, but he never really openly showed this. Harry couldn't actually even remember ever seeing Tom kiss Sebastian or Xavier. Whatever twisted relationship they had, Tom rarely seemed to be a part of it.

Actually, the night Harry arrived was the only time that he saw Tom express any feelings towards them. Then there was last night with Sebastian. Besides that, Tom didn't seem the type that really cared much about his supposed lovers. Yet, he constantly threatens Harry to stay away.

Harry thought of this as the Dark Lord's mere wanting to possess people. He acted like a stubborn child that refused to share and Harry was fine with that when it came with Xavier and Sebastian. Because, like he mentioned countless times before, he felt nothing for Xavier or Sebastian.

He wish could say the same for someone else. Harry had let himself admit it last night, while Tom slept with Sebastian. It was that scene that had brought out a sense of jealousy that Harry had constantly denied. Even now, he wanted to deny the existence of such feelings. But the longer he spent with Tom, the harder it was to ignore the aching of his heart.

There was too much history. Far too many evil deeds for Tom to be forgiven. But Harry attempted to reason this tiny infatuation to be with Tom Riddle, not the hideous creature that he would become. Yet, that didn't really settle his problem. Tom was Tom and that would never change…unless he did something. But Professor Slughorn said not to do anything that would alter time. Then again, Harry felt compelled to do something. Nothing could make the future worse than what it already was.

Before he knew it, Harry was halfway up the stairs leading to the Gryffindor Tower. Old habits had taken him there and new instincts turned him back around the other way. Hagrid was walking up the stairs, not really looking at where he was going. His attention was focused more on the object he held inside his robes, concealed from Harry's sight.

"Hey there, Hagrid." Harry greeted out of instinct.

"What d'yeh want?"

"Just saying hi…" said Harry, forgetting that Hagrid didn't like him.

Hagrid eyed Harry curiously, immediately recognizing his Slytherin attire. "Outta my way." He growled and rushed up the stairs. In his rush, he forgot about the faux step and his foot slid right through it, dropping whatever it was he was hiding.

The object rolled down the stairs, zigzagging until Harry saw Peeves the Poltergeist hovering close by. Peeves saw the rolling object and flew down to get it. Harry saw this and quickly pulled out his wand, "Accio!" The object projected itself out of Peeve's grasp and right into Harry's arms.

Letting out an annoyed wail, Peeves floated away spotting a shiny object around a Ravenclaw's neck.

Harry held Hagrid's belonging close, finally able to realize what it was. "An egg?" And at that moment, Hagrid had freed himself from the step and yanked the egg out of Harry's hands.

"Don't yeh touch it!" Hagrid held the egg close, stuffing it quickly back into his robes.

"I was just helping."

"Don't need yehr help." Hagrid clutch the egg possessively, muttered the password to the Fat Lady in the portrait and went into the Gryffindor House.

A wave of depression returned to Harry, adding to his already gloomy day. If Hagrid and he couldn't be friends, then who could be his true friends with? Xavier Malfoy? They got along fine, but there was still all the secrecy and lies. Harry wanted someone he could be open with and tell everything to. He wanted to tell someone that he wasn't from this time. Anyone.

On his way back, he saw Myrtle crying and running towards the Hufflepuff dorms, trying to escape Oliver who was close behind her. Harry knew that he shouldn't tell her his secrets and ignored her wails as Oliver caught up to her and muttered some jinx.

The only people that knew that Harry was from another time were the professors. Professor Dumbledore was in deep conversation with Professor Sedo, but even if he wasn't, he had already told Harry that there was nothing that could be done. All teachers have told him that. Harry knew that there was no way in going back, but was it so wrong to just want to talk about it?

There was no use thinking about it anymore. Harry drifted to his first class of the day, Herbology.

The walk to the greenhouse felt as familiar as ever and the class droned on as he remembered. Xavier was there, having trouble potting his Bristet, but its tentacles were making it difficult. They flailed wildly, hitting Xavier in the face, but he finally was able to put it into submission and bury it beneath the enchanted earth.

They copied down the assignment from Professor Orcut and left when the bell rang.

Xavier talked about a letter he received from his parents, just wanting to know how everything's been at Hogwarts. Harry didn't pay much attention to him and they quickly arrived back at their dorm. Xavier wanted to continue talking, but Harry managed to use homework as an excuse. Sighing, Xavier picked up his camera from Charms class and left to take some pictures.

Harry had developed the film to his and all his pictures were sprawled across his bed. Pulling out his wand, Harry read the incantation over and then tried it out on the picture of the Nekomancers. "Vigoribus!" There was a small spark from his wand that fell upon the photograph, but the only reaction he got was a blink from one of the cat-people.

Harry tried once more and waved his wand, more vigorously and repeated the spell, "Vigoribus!" This time, the Nekomancers twitched in picture and bared their fangs, but their movements ceased as quickly as it came.

Reading the passage over again, Harry didn't understand why the spell refused to work. Harry raised his wand once more, but a hand gripped at his wrist and pulled it back down.

"Homework, Potter? I find that hard to believe." Tom had just gotten back from class, but Harry didn't see Sebastian anywhere. "Need some help?"

"From you? No thanks." Harry said, pulling away from Tom's grip. He raised his wand again and chanted the spell, wanting to get it right in front of Tom. But again, something went wrong and the reaction from the picture was little to none.

"Your spellmanship says otherwise." Tom took a look at the Advanced Charms book, reading it quickly with his eyes.

"It's not like you would know what to do." said Harry. "You're only a fifth year, you can't perform these spells." For some reason, the thought that Harry was in harder classes than Tom made him inwardly smile with superiority. But then… "How are you in a seventh year Potions class?"

Tom continued to read, flipping forward and back a few pages in Harry's book. "It was Professor Slughorn who wanted me to go on to his advanced class this year. I couldn't refuse, but Dumbledore didn't think I was ready." He scoffed the reminder. "It took some persuasion from Slughorn, but he managed to convince Dippet against Dumbledore's views on me. So, I was put into Advanced Potions and I insisted that Sebastian be allowed to come with me. Dumbledore didn't seem to mind him going any further though."

"That seems unfair to everyone else. Why should you guys be allowed to get into higher classes and others not?"

"Because we're special." Tom said, smiling when Harry gave him an annoyed look. "I see what you're doing wrong."

"What?"

Tom went behind Harry and gently held the wizard's arms. Harry's body stiffened in response, straining his neck in an attempt to see Tom behind him. Tom's hands glided across Harry's arm until they were around the hand that held the wand. "Your movement is all wrong." Tom whispered into Harry's ear, sending shivers down the boy's spine.

Tom's hand cupped around Harry's and slowly guided the wand into a formation that Harry didn't take notice to. He heard Tom whisper the spell and, out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see the Nekomancers clawing at the picture, wanting to attack.

Harry could feel Tom's breath on his neck and again, he chanted the spell bringing another picture to life. If not for Tom's hand on his, Harry's arm would be shaking. Again, Tom moved Harry's arm and whispered the spell. "Your turn, Harry."

Without having anything to say back at Tom, Harry waved his wand and chanted the spell "Vigoribus!" And the picture of Xavier, Sebastian, and Tom came to life. With Tom still close behind him, Harry enchanted all of the pictures until there were no more excuses for Tom to remain.

"You're welcome." Tom said and sat on his bed.

"I didn't say thank you."

"You were going to."

"Really? Can you read minds?" Harry knew that the older Tom would be able to, but the younger Tom's capabilities were still unknown to Harry.

"Of course. I can do anything." said Tom.

"Then what am I thinking about?" Harry found himself moving closer to Tom's bed.

Tom took a long look at Harry before answering, "You're thinking why we aren't working on the Amortentia potion. You're right, Potter, we should really get started on it." Tom glided past Harry, not noticing the momentary look of disappointment on the boy's face.

Harry idly sat on the bed, watching Tom set out a cauldron and the ingredients needed for Harry to use. Then he motioned for Harry to come and attempt to create the strongest of all love potions.

Following Tom's verbal instructions to the best of his ability, Harry filled the cauldron with the crushed tidbits of pixie wings. Just as he was about to add the scurvy leaves, Tom stopped him, saying that they needed to be dipped in liquid peppermint. Doing as he was told, Harry added the scurvy leaves and saw the potion shine brighter than diamonds.

Tom handed Harry an Ashwinder egg. Harry thought that Tom purposely creating an Ashwinder was really risky, since the eggs it lays have the potential to destroy entire homes with flames. But Harry took the egg, feeling the frozen exterior cool his hands. He looked at it curiously and then gave the same look to Tom.

"You're supposed to use the inside." Tom stated. Harry still gave him a quizzical look and Tom sighed. "Crack it open and release the yolk into the cauldron."

Harry took the egg and held it over the cauldron with one hand and pulled out his wand with the other. "Diffindo!" Harry said and a thin slice appeared across the side of the egg. The slice spread into cracks and a slimy, red liquid flowed out of the egg and into the cauldron.

The red liquid resembled something like lava and Harry feared to touch it seeing as how steam was coming from it. As soon as it made contact with the cauldron's contents, there was a flurry of dark red smoke. It twirled and danced in strange spirals, the smoke disappearing into the air. The crimson potion then erupted in a cloud of pure white smoke that momentarily blinded Harry and Tom.

When Harry was able to see the potion again, he saw that it was now a crystal clear color that glistened brilliantly in the dorm lights. There were still small fumes that made strange patterns before mixing with the air, twirling in a mesmerizing way.

Tom came up from behind Harry and plucked a hair from the wizard's head. Harry flinched slightly, completely ignored by Tom who dropped the hair into the Amortentia Potion. He bent over the cauldron and took a whiff of it. "It smells strong—sort of invincible." Tom said, confusing Harry as to how he could smell such things.

Harry took in the aroma of the potion. "It smells like vanilla to me." said Harry, unsure to how Tom smelled the odor of strength.

"Care to test it out?" Tom asked with an evil grin forming on his face. Without waiting for an answer, he poured the Amortentia into a vile and stuffed it into his robes. "Come. Lunch is almost starting. Xavier and Sebastian should be waiting for us there."

"Where were they all this time?" Harry asked as they headed towards the Grand Hall for lunch.

"I told Sebastian to give us some alone time. He probably made sure that Xavier didn't disturb us either. Nice guy, that Sebastian."

They saw Xavier and Sebastian sitting at their usually spot in the corner of the Slytherin table, already digging into their plates. They took a seat with them and Tom poured everyone a glass of pumpkin juice, except for Harry. The two greeted him and Harry, but Tom didn't say anything.

He pulled out the vile of Amortentia and let a few drops fall into one of the glasses. Sebastian and Xavier watched confused. Tom stirred the pumpkin juice mixing the aroma of power with that of pumpkins. When he was finished, he took out his wand and used a switching spell to exchange the juices with the other glasses. Harry couldn't tell where the juice with the Amortentia was in now and that was probably what Tom had intended.

Tom grabbed a glass and raised it, "Cheers." He said and took a swig of his glass, drinking until it was completely empty. Xavier and Sebastian chose their glasses and followed Tom's example without question.

Xavier smacked his lips; unsure if there was supposed to be a difference in taste. Sebastian had the same reaction and shrugged his shoulders.

"One of the glasses had Amortentia in it, which means that one of us will be feelings its effects soon." Tom said. "Harry's hair was used in the potion, so the drinker will have strong obsessions for him—if it worked that is. Knowing Potter, none of us might be under the spell of Amortentia. That would be hard to believe since I walked you through it step by step," he said to Harry, a jealous glare came from Xavier's direction. "But you never know with Harry."

Harry wanted to ask something, but everybody was already leaving to head to their afternoon classes. Sebastian walked ahead and Xavier waited for Tom. "Try to guess who's under you spell, Potter." Tom winked and went to his class with Sebastian.

Dragged by the arm, Harry was taken to History of Magic. Xavier had his arms linked with Harry's as they arrived and took a seat in the back. The blond rested his head on Harry's shoulder, resting his eyes, "This is a sleeping class," he said.

Harry then saw Professor Binns, the only ghost teacher at Hogwarts. Harry didn't know how long Binns had been dead, but it appeared that it was much longer than he had expected if he was even a ghost in this time.

Just as he was in the future, Professor Binns began to speak in a monotone that never failed to make Harry's head droop. Soon, he found himself resting his head over Xavier's already sleeping one, feeling the weight of Professor Binns words on his eyelids.

It's a strange feeling, to have a ghost pass through your body. And that was how Harry was awakened. Professor Binns had spotted Harry and Xavier fast asleep in his class and woke them up with the bitter cold of a ghost's transparency. Harry felt his body shiver all over and tingle with the feel of death. Xavier was shiver as well and wrapped his arms around Harry for warmth. Professor Binns gave them a stare and hovered back to the front of the class, teaching about the momentary alliance with the Giants in the early 19th century.

Some of the students continued to look behind them, watching Xavier play with Harry's hair, twirling it with a finger. Most of them quickly looked away while others continued to stare with much curiosity. Harry wasn't doing anything to stop Xavier and the students saw Xavier further with his advances. Their eyes followed Xavier's slender fingers move across Harry's chest, disappearing inside Harry's robe. Lower Xavier's hand went, so low that the students watching looked away, blushing a deep red.

It was at that point that Harry decided that Xavier had his fun and pulled the blonde's hand from inside his robes.

"I can't help it." Xavier whined, clawing cutely at Harry's robe.

"Did you take the potion? It worked?" Harry asked.

"I don't know." said Xavier and placed his hand on Harry's knee. "But if you're not complaining, then don't mind if I…" His hand slid higher up Harry's thigh, coming dangerously close to Harry's…

That feel of bitter cold returned and Professor Binns along with it. "Both of you stop that immediately! I'm deducting ten points each from Slytherin." Professor Binns scowled having been disrupted twice in the same lesson.

"But we were just expressing our love!" yelled Xavier, loud enough for the whole class to hear. "You can't punish us for doing that!"

"Silence, Mr. Malfoy! Another outburst and I'll keep you for detention!" threatened Professor Binns.

Harry saw Xavier cross his arms and was sure that the blond was going to keep quiet but, "You're just jealous of what we have!"

"Potter! Malfoy! Detention after class!" Professor Binns glowered at them and Harry immediately felt like sinking into the floor.

Harry and Xavier were forced to clean the desks and write an essay on why the alliance with the Giants failed. While they washed the desks, Harry could feel Xavier staring at him with his gray eyes, so much like his grandsons.

"Will you stop?" Harry said, scrubbing fiercely at an invisible stain.

"Stop what?" Xavier asked innocently.

"Watching me."

"I'm not watching you." Xavier said, using an invisible trail of dust as an excuse to get closer to Harry. "I'm merely gazing at you lustfully as your tush shakes back and forth with each wipe of the cloth you clench so tightly."

Harry realized that cloth was scrunched up in his hand without his noticing it. "Well…just stop it."

"Okay…"

They continued washing desks and the entire time Harry could feel Xavier's eyes still lingering on him until Professor Binns said it was okay for them to leave. He gave them a speech on the rules of public displays of affection. After another embarrassing moment, Harry was allowed to leave.

Harry made sure to stay a few steps ahead of Xavier so that the blond wouldn't try anything funny. Xavier followed closely, enjoying the view of Harry's behind as they walked downstairs back to their dorms. Harry hoped that Tom was there so that he could create an antidote for the Amortentia. Xavier was a nuisance before, but now, the blond was stopping at nothing to get closer to Harry.

Harry moved into a sort of trot as they neared the Slytherin dorms, wanting to get their quickly. He looked behind him, but didn't see Xavier anymore. Stopping where he stood, Harry saw the corridors empty and with Xavier no longer occupying them. Suddenly having a weird vibe, Harry said the password and walked up to his room.

Tom was there, lying on his side on his bed, Harry's _Auror Training_ book open in front of him. He turned a page, seeming mildly interested. His dark eyes followed the letters of the page, taking in what was written.

Harry, forgetting about Xavier's absence for the moment, sat on Tom's bed. "Didn't think you would be interested in becoming an Auror."

"Oh? Why would you think that?" Tom responded casually, flipping another page and watching Harry out of the corner of his at the same time.

"You just don't seem like the type."

"You're right." Tom closed the book and tossed it aside. "Becoming an Auror won't seem like much of challenge for me. I would much rather stay here at Hogwarts. I was thinking of being the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher when Professor Merrythought retires and I graduate."

"Who?" Harry asked. "I thought Professor Sedo was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"

"Only for the seventh years. Merrythought didn't think she could handle teaching seventh year. She had said that her old age would make her students ill-prepared for the N.E.W.T.S. So the school's nurse, Ms. Sedo, took over Professor Merrythought's seventh year class. Only until she retires though and I'm hopefully made Professor."

Harry didn't know why Tom spoke so openly of his ambitions and future career. None of it sounded as if Tom was going to turn into the most powerful Dark Wizard to ever live. Tom sounded like a normal student at Hogwarts, learning and enjoying life.

"Where's Xavier?" Tom asked, barely noticing the silence.

"I'm not sure actually. But I think he took the Amortentia potion. Do you have a remedy? He's starting to get annoying."

"How do you know if Xavier took it?" Tom asked. "Do you even know how you can tell if someone is under the influence of a love potion?" Harry shook his head. "With most love potions, there are the common signs of constant affection, lusting, it can even go as far as obsession, depending on the strength of the love potion. Amortentia is the most powerful of all love potions and is also harder to track. If Xavier _had_ drunk it, then he would still be here or wherever you are. The same goes for me or Sebastian.

"Love cannot be artificially made or even imitated. The feelings are enhanced by the effects of the potion to a point that can resemble love. Whether the person truly loves the maker of the potion is something only that person would know.

"Do you remember the aroma of the Amortentia potion when you smelled it?"

"Yeah, it smelled like vanilla to me." Harry recalled.

"It smells differently to every person. The Amortentia's aroma gives off the scent of the thing that attracts that person most."

"Vanilla doesn't attract me." Harry stated.

Tom smiled. "I'm sure there's a reason to why you're attracted to vanilla." He sat up next to Harry looking straight into Harry's eyes. "Is it your favorite flavor of ice cream?" Tom reached out and held the sides of Harry's robes, slowly pulling them off the wizard's shoulders. "A plant that you deeply admire?" Harry shivered under Tom's touch, but didn't stop him. Tom's pale hand held the bottom of Harry's chin, gently pulling their faces closer. "Or is it something on a subconscious level?"

Harry's lips trembled, wanting to speak and remain silent at the same time. Tom's lips were calm and experienced, looking more delicious than a room full of chocolate frogs, licorice wands, or fizzing whizbees.

The drawing kiss seemed inevitable, but something made Harry show Tom his cheek. It was his conscience, screaming out that Tom was only under the influence of a love potion; that Tom's wanting to kiss him was the result of the Amortentia he created.

But still, even when Tom kissed the side of Harry's cheek, Harry felt his face burn with a blush. Tom didn't want to settle for a simple peck on the cheek though; he continued to place small kisses until he reached Harry's mouth.

"It's the Amortentia, Tom…and…and I'm not gay." Harry tried to think of any reason to stop Tom, but even what he was saying seemed to forced and false.

'The Lover' card came to Harry's mind, having appeared twice in the same day. Harry was never a true believer of predestination or Fate, but just this one time, he decided to let Fate take her course.

Their lips touched and a symphony of emotion erupted from Harry. With his eyes closed, he could still see Tom, every detail about him perfectly etched into his mind. No more use in trying to deny it, no more remembering of the future. Harry only wanted to live at that moment with Tom, sharing that kiss for all eternity.

"I'm going to go look for Xavier." Tom said, but didn't move. It wasn't until Harry said "Alright" that Tom got up and left, leaving Harry to bask in the sensations left behind.

Even with Tom gone, his presence remained on Harry's lips. He touched them, trapped in a state of shock that made Harry believe that none of this could be real. The theory that this was all a dream or nightmare came back to Harry, seeming to be more reasonable than ever. There way no way that Tom would kiss Harry or that he dreamt of becoming a teacher. This couldn't be the past, things just didn't seem right.

"Harry? What are you doing in here all by yourself?" Sebastian entered the room holding a stack of books he just checked out from the library. "Are you alright? You look rotten." He set his books down and sat next to Harry who was still on Tom's bed.

"I'm alright. Just a little tired." said Harry, falling back on the softness of Tom's bed.

"Is that so?" Sebastian said with a strange tone in his voice. Suddenly, Sebastian was over Harry and had the wizard's arms pinned down on the bed. Sebastian had a strange grin on his face as Harry struggled to free himself. "I'm feeling spunky, Harry. Care to be naughty? My donger needs to be wanked, Harry, and you're the poofter that can give me a good rooting right now."

Harry didn't know what Sebastian said, but he got the gist of it. He could feel something pressing against his thigh and Sebastian leaned closer. The strength that held Harry down was surprising for someone like Sebastian, but Harry managed to flip both of them over so that Harry was now on top.

"You can be on top of you want." said Sebastian. "Just don't be too rough." He smiled.

Harry let go of Sebastian and quickly got away from the bed. His hand gripped tightly on the wand hidden in his pocket. Sebastian, however, didn't hide his and came after Harry.

"Expelliarmus!" The wand shot out of Sebastian's hand and flew across the room.

Ignoring the fact that he no longer had magical aid, Sebastian continued to advance, a strange hunger lurking in his eyes.

Harry hadn't the heart to attack someone who had been nothing but kind to him. The many jinxes that swirled in Harry's mind went ignored and Harry took a step back with each step Sebastian took forward. Harry's wand was pointed at Sebastian, but the Australian wizard didn't seem to take it as any threat.

The space between them was quickly closing, Sebastian lessening the gap. He brought his face closer and held Harry's head with his hands. Then, pressed his lips against Harry's. His tongue brushed against Harry's mouth as Sebastian licked his lips tantalizingly.

With them being so close, Harry was able to smell Sebastian's breath on his face as the Australian kissed down his neck. The aroma wasn't overwhelming, but it was distinct. It had the familiar scent of vanilla.

"Sebastian, we have to make the antidote!" Harry pushed Sebastian off only to have the wizard return and cling on tighter.

"Sebastian? Harry?" Xavier walked into the scene of Harry being cornered by Sebastian and about to subjugate him into a lip lock.

Tom appeared beside the blond, his arms crossed and nostrils flared. When Harry saw them, he thought that he was saved; that Tom would think that he was trying to steal Sebastian away and then stop anything from happening.

"Hold him down, Sebastian." A malicious smile took form on Tom's mouth as he removed his robes and treaded closer.

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Yay! Finally, some Tom and Harryness! And some Harry and Sebastianess….and Xavierness…okay, maybe he's a man whore? I just love the Amortentia potion! It gives me an excuse to release teenage hormones out onto Harry and don't you just love doing that? Please review and a new chapter might appear! 


	8. Seeking

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 7 – Seeking_

**Disclaimer: **I really think that Harry is going to die in the 7th book, even though I don't want him to. I don't own Harry Potter or any of the books because J.K Rowling won't share, humph.

**Warning: **This chapter will contain some yaoiness and um…slasheness…and um...however else you say it. If you don't like that sort of thing (even after seven chapters!) then don't read.

**Author's Note: **Just to clarify some things, Sebastian's breath doesn't smell like vanilla because he's the one that Harry likes. It smells like that because he drunk the Amortentia and his breath smells like the thing that attracts Harry. On another note, oh...my…gosh! I can't believe the reviews! You're all beyond kind and I'm truly grateful for every single one of them. I'm so happy that I can just DIE! But I won't 'cause writing this is just too much fun.

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Harry had never felt so weak and helpless before in his life. Even when he was staring into the maniacal crimson eyes of Voldemort, Harry knew that that could not have been the end. Yet, now Harry couldn't even defend himself against three horny teenage boys.

He didn't feel like the wizard he used to be: Strong, determined, persistent, and never giving in to the clutches of evil. Harry had always fought against that, no matter what condition he was in. But now, there he was; a wizard of seventeen probably in the best physical condition of his life and unable to pry off the powerful grip Sebastian had on him.

No matter how hard Harry tried to get away, Sebastian didn't release his hold. Tom was coming closer, a look of hunger in his eyes. And Xavier was licking his lips, but made no advances.

Tom took a few steps forward. The wand in Harry's hand became more apparent and there was no longer any fear to use it on someone. Quickly, without giving anyone a chance to stop him, Harry aimed the wand down at Sebastian's leg and said, "Levicorpus!"

Sebastian's body flew into the air, a magical force holding him upside-down by the ankle. His hand refused to let go Harry and continued to yank on the wizard's robe. From Sebastian's altitude, Harry was able to slip out of his robe and fire a stunning spell at Xavier. The red light hit Xavier and he fell forward onto the floor.

That just left Tom. Harry stared down at the wizard, expecting him to pull out his wand. Tom reached into his pocket and Harry prepared himself for anything. There was no wand in Tom's hand, but a vile filled with pink liquid. It was a third empty from what Harry could tell.

"What is that?" Harry asked, his wand still pointing at Tom.

"This is the antidote to the Amortentia." said Tom, shaking the vile a bit. "I think you've proven your worth, Harry." Tom kneeled beside Xavier's stunned body and poured some of the antidote into the blonde's mouth before releasing him from the stunning spell.

Rejuvenated, Xavier stretched his arms out and rolled his shoulder, regaining the feeling in his muscles. He smacked his lips, sticking his tongue out in disgust. "It tastes like wet cat." He scratched his tongue with the front of his teeth, trying to get the taste out of his mouth.

Tom tossed the vile to Sebastian who still hung upside-down. The Australian wizard caught it, but refused to drink it. "I want Harry! He's mine! You just want to root him yourself!" Sebastian whined like a child. He then threw the antidote at the wall and shattered it into pieces.

Tom sighed. "Reparo." The glass particles reconstructed themselves into the vile in Tom's hand. He used a refilling charm to regain the antidote to the Amortentia potion. Sebastian saw Tom wanting to give him the antidote and turned his head the other way, keeping his lips tightly together. Getting annoyed by Sebastian's immaturity, Tom pinched Sebastian's nose, waiting until the Australian had to breathe. That moment came rather quickly and Sebastian's mouth opened wide for air. At that moment, the antidote was poured into Sebastian's mouth and swallowed.

Sebastian blinked a few times, seeming to come out of a daze. His brown eyes fell on Tom's upside-down image of Tom. Quickly, he pulled Tom into a kiss ignoring the awkwardness of being upside-down. "I'm so sorry, Tom. I couldn't control myself!"

"Get him down." Tom barked at Harry.

Deeply confused, Harry raised his wand at Sebastian's floating figure. "Liberacorpus!" Tom caught Sebastian's body in his arms who continued to apologize. He put Sebastian on his bed and pulled out another potion filled with purple liquid. A few drops of the sleeping draught and Sebastian fell into a temporary sleep.

Xavier was already getting into his bed and when Tom gave him the potion he took a few sips too.

"What…what's going on?" Harry asked, suddenly feeling as if he had taken a drink of sleeping draught too, his back falling against the wall. He needed to catch his breath, to try and make out what Tom had done.

There was a maternal instinct that seemed to come from Tom as he gently pulled the covers over Xavier's frame and kiss the boy's forehead. His hand lingered over the blonde's face, caressing Xavier's pale cheek. "I gave the potion to everyone. Instead of a switching spell, I diverted the Amortentia into all of the cups. , so each one of us were under its influence."

Harry looked up at Tom, suddenly feeling queasy. "Everyone loved me?"

Tom let out a dry laugh. "I told you before that the Amortentia doesn't force someone to love you. It only greatly enhances desire towards you. I wanted to see how it affected everyone."

"This was an experiment?"

"You can say that. Xavier didn't really change much. If anything, he was probably less physical with you. Sebastian's reaction to the potion is what worries me. I didn't think he would have gone so far."

"And you? You took the potion too." Harry looked away as the memory of their kiss returned. He felt embarrassed if that had happened while Tom was under the Amortentia's influence. He felt as if Tom purposely did that to trick him. "You had the antidote all along!"

"Of course. You never make a potion without making the antidote too." Tom replied matter-of-factly. His fingers ran through Xavier's long, golden locks.

"When did you take it?" Harry wanted to know if it had been before or after their kiss. But he wasn't sure when he wanted it to be.

There was a smirk on Tom's face now meant for Harry but looking down at Xavier's sleeping body. "Does it matter, Potter?"

"No. It doesn't." He lied, resting his head against the hard wall. "It doesn't matter to me." Repeating the words made it sound more true, even when it wasn't.

It felt like something heavy was on top of Harry, pushing him lower onto the floor. The weight fell on his eye lids too, fighting the instinct to stay awake. A fatigue so strong overcame Harry, letting him lie on the floor and slumber. With the world around him darker than the night, Harry could only feel someone lifting him off the floor. The arms that held him were strong yet gentle. They cradled Harry, holding him close. Harry's inner child, the one that hadn't felt a mother's warmth or father's approval, clung onto the person. His arms wrapped around the person's neck, holding tighter onto him.

The sort of embrace felt familiar, like when Tom had held him after he had been hit with the Cruciatus Curse. That's when Harry knew, without having to open his eyes, that Tom carried him. Knowing that, Harry felt safer from dangers he didn't even know about.

Tom whispered something that was too soft to be heard. Harry leaned closer, resting his head against Tom's shoulder to try and listen better. He could feel Tom's hair tickle his nose, an attractive scent coming from it; one that smelled of vanilla.

-+-+-+-+-+-

Professor Slughorn took one whiff of the Amortentia potion and smiled at Harry and Tom. It has been said that he could tell how well a potion is made just by smelling it. He is able to decipher the ingredients used and even the potion itself by using only his sense of smell. That seemed to hold true since he told Harry a job well done without having to taste it.

"Perfectly made, Mister Potter." Professor Slughorn swirled the vile of Amortentia and put it in a cabinet. "Did you two test this before showing me?"

"Yes and the effects proved to be intense." replied Tom. "Both Xavier and Sebastian exhibited strong emotional feelings towards Harry."

"Oh? You didn't test it out yourself, Tom?"

Harry could have sworn he saw Tom blush for a second. "I did."

"And?"

"And what? That's it." Tom said defiantly, but Professor Slughorn allowed him to get away with the rude attitude.

"I'll be expecting better things from you, Mister Potter." He said to Harry and then turned to Tom. "And continue to help him if he's having some trouble. We'll be reviewing the Elixir of Life next week. Make sure Harry is up to date on that particular potion."

They were dismissed and Harry let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Being evaluated by Professor Slughorn had brought more nerves than expected. And Tom's being there didn't help much either. Tom's presence had actually brought more nervousness.

Ever since the experiment with the Amortentia, Harry avoided everyone. He knew that they had all been under its influence, yet the way they acted had been real. Whenever Xavier would sit next to him in class, Harry made sure to pay extra attention to the professor and to write avidly. Innocent, young Sebastian was also someone that Harry didn't feel comfortable around with anymore. And Tom—Harry avoided him like the plague.

The next few weeks, Harry surprisingly found it easier to focus on his studies. Not being around his roommates salvaged the remains of Harry's sanity. Xavier kept his flirtatious annoyances down so that Harry could ignore them easily. The slightest touch of the skin or grasp of the hand no longer fazed him. Immunity to them was Harry's excuse, so Xavier spent most of his time thinking up new ways to try and get under Harry's shirt.

Tom seemed to not care at all whether Harry paid attention to him or not, and that suited Harry best. Amortentia or not, Harry blurred the memory from his mind; that dreadful memory of Tom letting out his feelings and opening up to Harry; of Tom coming closer, eyes closed and lips puckered…

Harry shook his head of the past, trying to regain his focus. He read the prompt given to him by Dumbledore in Transfigurations, _"How can one tell if someone is an Animagus? Support your answer with examples." _ Harry bit his lower lip, not really thinking of the answer but of the class with _Professor_ Dumbledore. No longer his Headmaster.

To describe how he felt when Harry saw that he had Transfiguration class that day—unimagined excitement. A class with the only wizard that Voldemort ever feared (even if he never admitted it) was something that Harry had never even dreamed of before.

Dumbledore had frightened one of the students as they sat down in their seat. Their normal-looking wooden desks had suddenly grown longer and grey. Where the table stood now became Professor Dumbledore who towered over all the students. With his wand still out, he continued to transfigure random objects in the room. A chair became a plant, a textbook into a parrot, a desk into a lamp and even a student into a walrus.

By the time he was finished amusing himself, the room was filled with the most unnatural of things. An ending wave of his wand and every item returned to its original form and Dumbledore took his rightful place at the head of the class.

With their attention caught, the students listened as Professor Dumbledore spoke avidly of the Animagi; of their power to shape shift into an animal at will. When a student asked him if he was an Animagus, Dumbledore said that he didn't really fancy it. Another student asked him why but he had quickly changed the subject to transfiguring others people.

Almost every student showed respect towards Professor Dumbledore. He was a powerful wizard and they all saw it. But it wasn't his power that had gained their respect, but his kind intake on the world. Even his eyes that grew wiser with age revealed a generosity that other people lacked. He was someone to be revered.

"So bored…" Xavier whispered to Harry, blinking his eyes sheepishly. "Wake me up when it's over."

"How can you be bored? Professor Dumbledore is brilliant!" Harry defended his old headmaster.

"Best not to let Tom hear you say that." said Xavier, his eyes closed now. "He thinks that the old coot is out to get him, so Tom loathes him with a passion."

"Just because someone has the courage to not like Tom doesn't mean that they should be hated for it."

"Yes it does." Xavier had the last word and fell asleep with his head buried in his arms.

When class was over, Harry purposely forgot to leave Xavier sleeping and went to speak with Professor Dumbledore.

Dumbledore was arranging some papers, neatly stacking them on his desk. The use of his wand would have been easier, but he didn't enjoy using his wand for every single task. "Mister Potter, did you enjoy today's lesson?" he asked, momentarily deviating from his paper stacking.

"Professor, about the Tempus Inconcessus…"

"Harry, we have discussed this matter. Nothing can be done." There was a slight distaste in his voice as they returned to the subject.

"But surely there must be some way! Something that hasn't been discovered yet." Harry truly wanted hope.

"If there was a way I would tell you. It's dangerous for anyone to meddle in other time affairs, especially someone of your age. Your presence itself may be interfering with events that are supposed to be. Who knows how much of the future you could have already changed."

"But I haven't done anything that would affect the future."

"It's a butterfly effect, Mister Potter." said Dumbledore, returning to formalities. "The flutter of a butterfly's wings causes the smallest of gusts, but as it spreads, it becomes a breeze, then a strong wind; it grows bigger and stronger until it is a devastating wind that destroys the lives of countless people. Right now Harry, your wings are producing miniscule gusts."

"How do I know if what I'm doing is changing anything?" Harry asked.

"You'll discover it with age. When you are an old wizard who has lived through these times and finally reaches the one he's left, then you'll know the extent of your damage."

There was nothing left to say. Harry thanked Dumbledore out of manners, and woke Xavier up before leaving.

Harry's mood had been pulled down the rest of the week, but it was something that came along with the first signs of snow that had livened up his spirits.

Xavier, Sebastian, and Tom were getting ready for something Harry didn't know about. They didn't have any more classes that day and it was a long time until dinner. He noticed them wrapping themselves with cloaks and told Harry to quickly get ready and follow.

As they neared their destination, Harry could hear the cheering of a crowd growing louder. They were leaving the castle and heading straight towards a place Harry knew all too well. The cheers grew louder until it became a roar. They entered the Quidditch Field, taking their seats with a section dedicated solely to the Slytherins.

Quidditch had been the farthest thing from his mind ever since coming here. It was a wonder that it wasn't until now that the sport seemed to be of importance. "You're not on the team?" Harry asked Tom who was barely taking notice to the players as they flew overhead.

"Of course not. Quidditch is a barbaric sport played by those who have no brains. It's a game consisting purely of brawn." Tom watched dully as a Slytherin Chaser through the Quaffle into the Hufflepuff goal, earning them another ten points.

"That's not true! There's strategy involved and difficult maneuvers performed by the players in order to win!" Harry quickly came to the defense of the sport he had played for five years.

"You play, Potter?

"Seeker." Harry replied.

"Really now? May I assume that you're not very good then?"

"Assume what you want, but you wouldn't stand a chance against me on a broom." Harry said with confidence. Tom shrugged his shoulders and pulled out Harry's _Auror Training _book and read.

Harry ignored Tom's lack of interest in what he thought was the best sport of all time and secretly rooted for the Hufflepuff team, smiling whenever they hit a Slytherin with a Bludger.

The Hufflepuff team didn't put up much of a fight for the Slytherins. Their Chasers were pathetic, always accidentally handing the Quaffle over to the enemy as they attempted to throw it into the Slytherin goal. Their Seeker searched frantically for the Golden Snitch, constantly brushing her hair out of her eyes.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a glint of gold and shot straight for it. The Slytherin Seeker saw her quick movements and dived at where she was flying. He saw the flutter of the Snitch's wings and stretched out his arm, getting dangerously close to the ground. The Hufflepuff Seeker was right beside him, her arms outstretched as well.

The Snitch whizzed forward towards the ground with the two Seekers on its tail. The crowd held their breath, their attention now turning to the two Seekers closing in on the Snitch. Xavier was out of his seat, holding his breath in anticipation and Sebastian was doing the same. Tom glanced at the scene, hiding his distaste. And Harry watched enthusiastically with the rest of them.

The Hufflepuff Seeker pulled on her broom, no longer wanting to take a part of the game of chicken. A smart move on her part because the Slytherin Seeker lunged from his broom in an attempt to grab the Snitch, but missed by a hair and smashed straight into the Quidditch field at an astonishing speed.

The crowd silenced, watching intently at the immobile Seeker. Their breaths were caught in their throats, unable to be released until they could see the rising figure of the Slytherin Seeker. But the Seeker never got up. He lay motionless on the field's floor. It wasn't until they saw mediwizards rushing to the field that they realized that he wasn't going to be getting up on his own.

The force of the impact had been enough to leave a puddle of blood beneath the body, made obvious to the crowd as he was carried away. The referee blew his whistle loudly, calling the team captains of both houses to center at the field. The Slytherin captain, a seventh year Beater, met with the referee and immediately went into a flurry of verbal assaults that Harry couldn't hear.

"I can't hear!" Xavier grumbled and then took out his wand. "Audiopotis!" His wand shook slightly and he held it near his ear. Sebastian leaned in closer and motioned for Harry to do the same.

Feeling a bit silly, Harry shifted in his seat so that they all had their heads turned at the wand. Just as Harry did this he could hear the voices of the referee, Slytherin captain, and Hufflepuff captain. He looked over Xavier's head, seeing that it was the Slytherin captains who was speaking now.

"You can't disqualify us just because we're a player short! Not since we're in the lead!" His tone was bitter and aimed at the ref.

"The rules state that there must be seven players on the field." Stated the referee. "And it's no problem of mine that you don't have any reserved players, Trey."

"I agree strongly with Monsieur Daedalus." Said the Hufflepuff captain knowing that they would have no chance against the Slytherin team unless they won by forfeit.

"Your team is going to have to forfeit the match. The mediwizards are going to do everything they can for Douglas, but he won't be playing for the rest of the season." Daedalus tried to sound sympathetic, but couldn't really pull it off on the Slytherin captain who continued to bad mouth him.

Xavier lowered his wand so that they couldn't hear anymore. "Oh no! Slytherin can't be out of the season! We were going to win this year!"

Sebastian seemed just as distraught. "That's not fair! I'm going to spit the dummy!"

"Spitting on Xavier wouldn't solve this." Tom smiled to himself and then looked at Harry. "But Harry might. You said you play, correct?"

"…Yeah." Harry didn't like where this was going.

"Seeker, right?"

"…Yeah."

"And that I wouldn't stand a chance against you on a broom?"

"…Yeah."

That was all Tom needed, so he got up from his seat and jumped down right onto the field. The crowd's attention was now focused on the person casually walking to the arguing captains and referee in the center. Their heads turned simultaneously when they noticed Tom walking up to them. Trey greeted his fellow Slytherin with a handshake and the Hufflepuff captain, Burt, gave Tom an icy stare.

"Mister Riddle, no one is allowed on the field." Daedalus said, but didn't really make a big deal out of it much to Burt's irritation.

"My apologies, Monsieur, but I may have a solution to this predicament." Both Daedalus and Trey were paying much more attention now. "I would like Harry Potter to play as Seeker for the remainder of the game."

"Who?" They all asked.

"Harry Potter. The boy right over there." He pointed in Harry's direction and they all looked at the boy with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. They saw his ruffled dark hair and glasses that magnified his brilliant green eyes. "He's had experience in the game and would make a fine replacement for tragic Douglas."

Burt stared long at Harry. From what he saw, Harry didn't look like a brilliant Quidditch player or flyer. He wanted to win, especially against Slytherin. Harry would never be able to catch the Snitch before their quick Seeker, Sarah. "I have no objections to this."

"I can't allow some rookie to play on my team. Sorry Tom, but he can't play." Trey crossed his arms to emphasize that his decision was final.

"I am willing to make this game more interesting." There was a strange twinkle in Tom's eye. "Play Harry, and if he catches the Snitch, then he will remain on the team. If he doesn't and causes for Slytherin to lose, then…"

"Slytherin is out of the season." Burt finished the sentence, wanting things to go his way rather than having to follow the orders of a fifth year.

"Fine. Slytherin will be out of the season." Tom agreed.

"What?! I'm not agreeing to this!" Trey shouted, unable to believe that Tom would agree to such travesty.

"Give him a chance, Trey. You'll be doing me a favor. And I always return the _favor_." Trey felt something choke his speech, but a nod of his head showed that he agreed to it. "Is this fine with you, Monsieur Daedalus?"

"I have no problem with it. I love it when there are more things at stake. It makes the game more risky. Go get Mister Potter then and tell him to be in robes and on a broom in five minutes."

Tom thanked Daedalus and beckoned for Harry to come. Having heard the entire conversation through Xavier's wand, Harry reluctantly jumped onto the field and headed to the changing room with Tom.

"Why are you doing this? You don't even know if I'm good or not." Harry asked Tom while he put on the green and silver playing robes of the Slytherin House.

Tom helped him put them on, creasing out the wrinkles. "If you lose, then Slytherin won't play anymore and I wont' have to come to these stupid matches."

"You're hoping that I lose?!"

"Break a leg." Tom kissed Harry on the cheek, momentarily stunning the wizard and giving him a chance to escape back into the crowd of Quidditch lovers.

Harry stood at the entrance of the Quidditch field, his palms sweating and heart beating faster than a Snitch's wings. He wasn't nervous. This was adrenaline. It felt like an eternity since he last held a broom and flew out in the open. Tom's allowing him to play was bittersweet, but at the moment it felt more sweet than anything.

He mounted his broom and took flight, ridding the nostalgic feeling of having wind blow through his hair. There was a loud cheer coming from the Slytherins, Xavier and Sebastian being the loudest of them all. He joined the other Slytherins, getting hopeful messages from them all.

"We're counting on you." Trey patted Harry on the back and took his place in the sidelines.

Monsieur Daedalus blew his whistle and released all the balls again, except for the Snitch which was still buzzing around somewhere on the field. The score was Slytherin: 70 and Hufflepuff: 50.

Instinctively, Harry began to search for the Golden Snitch, forgetting that if he caught it that he would be helping the Slytherins win. A Bludger was shot his way, but was smacked right back by Trey who gave him a thumbs up. Harry saw Trey hit another Bludger, hitting a Hufflepuff Chaser in the back of the broom and making them drop the Quaffle they were holding. A Slytherin Chaser caught it and threw it at Trey who used his Bat to smack it past the Keeper and into the Hufflepuff goal. The crowd roared as another ten points was added to the Slytherin score.

It seemed as if they were going to win without Harry's help at all. Then again, if Sarah found the Snitch first, then all of the Slytherin's scoring would have been in vain. So, he decided to pull of one of his more favorite techniques: the Wronski Defensive Feint.

He made sure that Sarah was watching. When she was, Harry went into a quick dive for an imaginary Snitch near the floor. Sarah flew right after him, gaining quicker speed than him on her Cumulus300. She didn't want to cower out of this one again, so she dove quickly in the direction Harry was going. She couldn't see the Snitch, but Harry's determination to surpass her told her that it had to be there. The grassy ground was getting closer and still she didn't see a Snitch. Harry then crept further on his broom as if to make a lunge for something and stretched out his arm even more.

At the last possible moment, Harry pulled on his broom with powerful strength. Sarah discovered that she had been tricked and pulled on her broom as well. She still crashed dangerously into the ground, but with less force than if she had not tried to pull away.

While Sarah lay on the ground, desperately trying to mount her broom as quickly as possible, Harry saw a glint of gold in front of him. The Snitch teased him, flying around in front of Harry. Harry made a quick grab for it, coming off a bit short and the Snitch then made a run for it.

Harry swerved passed flying Bludgers and other players. The Snitch forced Harry to follow it to the Hufflepuff goal where the Keeper was having trouble defending against Trey and his deadly aim. The Golden Snitch froze for a second and then shot straight down. Quick reflexes caused Harry to turn upside-down and snatch the speeding orb.

He held himself using his legs. The Snitch tickled in Harry's hand, its wings protruding from in between his fingers. It took a while for the crowd to realize what happened before they burst into a roar of cheering. The entire Slytherin team came flying to Harry, turning him right-side-up on his broom and congratulating him warmly.

"That was some awesome flying!"

"You have to teach me that trick you did!"

"Three cheers for Harry!"

They had won thanks to Harry. They could continue to play against the other houses with Harry now a part of their team. Their praises continued until they were out of their robes and gone to dinner. Harry remained in the changing room, taking his time with his robes.

"I can't believe you pulled it off, Potter." Tom walked in with a smug grin on his face. "I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised."

"Pleasantly? I thought you wanted me to lose."

"I did, but now that you're a part of team, coming to watch Quidditch won't be so bad anymore. Now, I suppose that I must congratulate you on your efforts." Tom smiled menacingly and held Harry's chin. He firmly pressed his lips against Harry's, but only gave him a taste of things to come. "Congratulations, Harry."

"Wait. What about Trey?"

"What about him?"

"…Never mind."

Tom shrugged his shoulders, "We'll save you a seat at dinner."

Harry quickly got into his normal robes, but took his time in walking to the Grand Hall. For some reason, when Tom told Trey that he always returned the 'favor', Harry felt…jealous. He could only hope that Tom wasn't true to his word…but Harry knew he was. After all, he was now the official seeker of the Slytherin Quidditch Team.

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Hoorah! I finished this chapter on Thanksgiving Day! I'm supposed to be cleaning the house right now 'cause people are going to be coming over for a party…but I'm lazy. Besides, getting this chapter out is much more important than vacuuming, don't you agree? I'm sure you do. Seriously love you all to death and please review. I got so many ideas from your reviews and soooo much confidence! Please don't stop reading and reviewing! 


	9. Lost Trust

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 8 – Lost Trust_

**Disclaimer: **Hm…I wonder if I'll ever own Harry Potter. It could be possible, right? Of course, I don't own it right now…but you'll never know. Mwauahahaha!

**Warning: **This chapter will contain um…hm…I'm not really sure. I haven't written the chapter yet. You know, I should really write these after I'm done writing the chapter. Well, too late so I'll just say that there's slash in this chapter (as well as every chapter in this story of course).

**Author's Note: **Grrr, without internet, I had nothing better to do so I wrote this chapter too. For Christmas my friends gave me yaoi shirts which are total awesomeness! I even got a yaoi doll that's similar to a ninja from Naruto, he's so cute! I wanted to post this on Christmas day (because everyone was doing it and peer pressure provoked me to do it), but the phone company cut my internet and I just got it back. Enjoy the chappie and don't forget that one out of every ten guys is gay…just saying.

* * *

A Slytherin seventh year Harry has never met gave him a high-five as he walked down the hall. Random people have been giving him pats on the back and such ever since the Quidditch game. It was as if he became a celebrity all over again, but for something that Harry felt that he had control over.

There was infamy when he was known as The-Boy-Who-Lived. His scar was the mark of it. But now, it was a fame that was filled with glory and appreciation. By the end of the day, Harry found himself high-fiving those people right back and talking Quidditch with people who struck up conversations.

The day couldn't have gotten any better. However, it did get worse.

As it was nearing the winter holidays, people were signing up for the trips to Hogsmeade. Sebastian signed them all up, saying that they need to get out for a day. The professors have been working them non-stop for the past few months, dumping mountains of homework on them. It was in order to prepare them for the N.E.W.T.S. and O.W.L.S.

Harry had done well on his O.W.L.S. during his fifth year. Now it was going to be time to take the exam that was going to decide whether he has what it takes to become an auror.

He had studied intensely, mainly because Tom was forcing him to. The sessions they had when working on potions seemed even more brutal than the class. Whenever Harry would do something wrong, Tom would become annoyed and begin to take out his irritation on innocent pillows, blankets, vials, pretty much anything that can be torn or destroyed.

But then, whenever Harry did something right, there were rewards. If the right ingredient was used and placed into the cauldron correctly, Tom would show how proud he was of Harry with more than just encouraging words. The thought that Harry could earn a subtle touch from Tom's hand was motivation enough for Harry to not fail the potion tests Slughorn had given.

It was the final test before they were on holiday. The exam was based on identifying the ingredients of a potion Slughorn brewed then they had to replicate it. Professor Slughorn allowed them to work in pairs. Tom was the partner that came to mind, but Sebastian and Xavier were already fighting over him.

The victor of that battle was Xavier. Harry thought that it would have been just as good to have Sebastian, but the Australian wizard found another person fairly quick. Sebastian went to the other side of the room and sat with a bushy haired person Harry couldn't see. They sat next to Avery and Lestrange who were working diligently on their potion, glancing occasionally at Sebastian and his partner.

Harry ended up being paired with Eileen Prince. She was doing most of the work, but Harry was able to help out in small ways. He was able to identify most of the ingredient thanks to Tom's brutal tutoring sessions. Eileen recreated the potion using Harry's ingredients and was able to successfully complete a Scintillation Solution.

Sebastian, Xavier and Tom all did well on their potions as well. To celebrate, Sebastian had put them on the list for Hogsmeade. They would be leaving as soon as holiday began tomorrow.

Until then, they all took a well-needed rest in their room. They all skipped dinner, feeling too exhausted to budge from their beds.

As he lay on his back, Harry was able to appreciate the ceiling of the Slytherin dorm. The enchantment caused the meticulously drawn painting of cherubic children to flutter around. The instruments they held made soundless music, notes gracefully soaring out of the ends of trumpets and horns. A cloud would sometimes shadow one of the children, but their tiny heads would pop out and resume playing and singing. The painting was angelic if anything, unlike the Slytherins at all.

"Sebastian painted that." Harry's gaze tore away from the ceiling's artwork and met up with Tom's shadowed figure in the corner. Looking to see why, Harry saw Sebastian occupying Tom's bed and Xavier was sleeping comfortably beside the Aussie. "It was during our second year. The room was as depressing as the rest of this place and Sebastian wanted to shed some light on us. Xavier and I weren't aware of his artistic abilities, but we were truly impressed by his work. He refused to let us see it until it was done however, so he kept it covered with a tarp, painting it when we weren't around. It took him the entire year, considering he had classes to work on as well as this masterpiece. In our third year, Sebastian unveiled his art and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Xavier was the one who enchanted it. Now, whenever I look at it, I'm filled with anguish."

"But you said it was the most beautiful thing you've ever seen." Harry was sitting in his bed, watching Tom intently, examining every movement the boy made. Tom's words had captured Harry, pulling him into an imagined embrace that Harry couldn't nor didn't want to pull away from.

"Sebastian calls it 'Lost Trust'. He never said why he named it that, but somehow, it suits it. I cannot create something as magnificent as this. I never will be able to. That's what anguishes me." Tom let his head fall, diverting his gaze away from the 'Lost Trust' and to the floor.

A mystical force drew Harry out of bed and directed him to Tom. It wasn't any magic that controlled him—it was a desire. "You can't be good at everything."

"I should be." Tom's hands were folded in his lap, holding each other tight. "There's no point in doing something if I can't be the best at it."

"I'm not the best at Quidditch, but I still do it. There's always a sense of adrenaline when I'm playing. Nothing could replace the feelings I have when I'm out there on the Quidditch field."

"You don't even do much. You're just floating up there looking for a shiny rock with wings. Anyone can do that."

"It's harder than it looks. I doubt that even the almighty Tom Riddle would be a match for little old me."

Tom laughed, not mockingly but because he was amused. It made Harry want to hear more laughter from Tom, it was a rare sound.

"I finished that_ Auror Training_ book of yours. It was quite interesting."

"I don't recall ever lending it to you." Harry took a seat next to Tom, letting his body slide down against the wall.

"That's because I never asked." Tom handed the book back to Harry. "It's a month overdue. Barda's going to have a fit when you give it back. Good luck with that." There was that laugh again. It came so free and sudden whenever Harry was around.

A silence followed, but it wasn't awkward. They listened to each other's presence, using the magic of body language to insinuate what the other was thinking.

Harry adjusted his glasses, able to see Tom out of the corner of his eyes. Tom shifted slightly in his place, brushing his knee against Harry's leg. A tingle surged throughout Harry's body and he shivered. A warmth circulated as Tom put his arm around Harry's shoulder.

Harry stiffened, unused to Tom's touch. Gentle strokes of his hair calmed him though and Harry's body melted into Tom's hold.

Suddenly, there was a maniacal laugh in his ear. _Surely you haven't forgotten, Harry. I'm not someone you can forgive so easily. After all, I killed every person you loved. Your parents—it was amusing the way their bodies twitched under the Cruciatus Curse. Sebastian created that if you recall, a friend or foe? _The laugh returned, sending a cold shiver down Harry's spine. _Ron—he was a waste of a Horcrux. I intended for you to find it first, but I suppose I was expecting too much from you. _

_I can give you an endless list of all the people I've murdered mercilessly. But I'm sure you already know that, because I** know** you haven't forgotten. Didn't you come here to save your friend? It looks to me like you're being distracted by other things. _

_I'm disappointed in you, Harry. I truly am. I thought that it was going to be you who I face in the epic battle of good versus evil. You're making this too simple, Harry. _

_Just know that while you're here, I'll be ruling the world with a trail of blood behind me. No innocent will be spared and you will be able to do is wait until you suffer the fate of all those people. You're going to die eventually anyway. I'm still going to be the one who kills you. Know that that fact will never change. _

The voice haunted Harry's mind; a sadistic voice that bore the tales of ages. There was distinct hiss as it spoke softy in Harry's ear—too real for it to have been a figment of his imagination. But it couldn't have been real. Voldemort wasn't here, not in this time.

"Harry, you're shaking. Are you alright?"

That was a lie. Voldemort was right there, holding him in his arms.

Harry pushed Tom away with strong force, knocking the wizard down. Sprawling to his feet, Harry looked at Tom with mad eyes. There was a mixture of fear and hate in the look he was giving Tom.

"What's wrong?" Tom asked, angered for being pushed away like that. He moved to Harry, but a wand pointed at his head stopped him from going too far.

"_Noir Escura!_" The pool of dark matter poured from Harry's wand as he completed the figure eight formation. Despite the pain that followed, Harry expanded the energy to fill the room and block Tom from sight. Without looking back, Harry ran away, ignoring the searing pain coming form his scar.

-+-+-+-+-+-

Nurse Sedo was walking through the halls of Hogwarts, on her way to the Hospital Wing to check on the patients as she did every night. With her new teaching duties in Defense Against the Dark Arts it was difficult to see how her patients were doing. Being both the school's educator and nurse was tedious, but Sedo managed to do them both very well.

Her wand emitted a small glow, making the path in front of her clear. The halls were usually empty at this time of night; most of the students had gone to bed early so they could be the first to go to Hogsmeade. But a sleeping body of a boy with a lightning bolt scar strayed upon her path.

Actually, he wasn't sleeping. Looking closer, Nurse Sedo saw that Harry's sleeping state wasn't of choice; he was unconscious.

She checked his vitals to make sure that he was alright. Everything seemed fine, but as a precaution she used her wand to levitate Harry to the Hospital Wing.

With ease and speed, Sedo brewed a salving solution and rubbed it gently over Harry's scar. Years of treating illnesses, maladies, and injuries gave Sedo the experience needed to know that Harry's pain originated on his forehead. The way his eyes cringed unknowingly whenever she touched it was a clear sign.

A student's seventh year involved a lot of stress and pressure. It was usually because of the N.E.W.T.S. that many of them got sick and sent to the Hospital Wing. All the work the professors were giving the students was unhealthy in Sedo's eyes, but now that she was one of them, she wanted her students to succeed more than anything.

She remained at Harry's bedside for the remainder of the night. Knowing the situation he was in, there was sympathy felt towards him. Being trapped in a time where you didn't know anyone? That sounded depressing to Nurse Sedo. She couldn't even fathom how Harry must feel.

Harry remained asleep the rest of night. It wasn't until the magical rays of an artificial sun hit his face that consciousness returned.

He awoke with a daze and looked absentmindedly at Nurse Sedo. At first, he didn't notice her, even thought his eyes were looking directly at her. When she greeted him with a 'good morning' Harry started and yelped in surprise.

"Feeling better, Harry?" Sedo put her hand against Harry's forehead, checking his scar. She smiled that contagious s mile of hers and Harry couldn't help smiling back.

"Yes, thank you, Professor." Harry scanned the room, realizing that he wasn't in his dorm room. "How did I get here?"

"I found you lying in one of the halls. You seemed ill so I brought you here."

Memories returned to Harry instantaneously and as soon as they did Harry's scar began to burn. He grabbed at his forehead in an attempt to ease the pain, but it had never worked before. The voice of the enemy echoed in his mind, hissing viciously in Harry's ears. It repeated the same words as before, imprinting themselves into Harry to make sure he would never forget.

Nurse Sedo quickly pulled out her wand and moved Harry's hands away from his scar. The tip of her wand pressed against Harry's scar and released a clear liquid. A sudden cold sensation overcame Harry and the burning ceased almost immediately.

However, the voice still remained in Harry's mind, torturing his thoughts. The pressure in his lungs reached its limit and Harry let out a breath he had been holding without knowing.

"Here take this." Sedo offered Harry a flask and Harry took it with shaking hands.

He drank the flask's contents, some of the liquid dripping down the side of his lips. He consumed it all and his mind felt strangely empty right after.

"This potion will momentarily clear your mind of all thought," explained Nurse Sedo, "you'll be able to sleep without any bad dreams…or voices. Take advantage of this and get some rest. You look like you need it."

Harry didn't have the ability to respond so instead he nodded his head. People usually find it difficult to sleep because of all the thoughts roaming around their head. The potion got rid of that problem for Harry among other things and he was able to sleep for the first time without nightmares.

-+-+-+-+-+-

The streets of Hogsmeade were filled with witches and wizards. The younger years were giggling and laughing on their way to Honeydukes Sweetshop. For the first years, it seemed like the only place worth going to at Hogsmeade. The aroma of chocolate truffles and mountains of sweets is what drew them to Honeydukes.

Sebastian was tugging on Tom's "casual" wear. "Casual" because even though the older students were allowed to dress in clothing besides their robes, Tom's outfit was strikingly similar to them anyway. He had a white, formal shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a Slytherin tie. His pants and shoes were the same dark material as always.

"You couldn't have been less dull?" Xavier commented on Tom's clothes, crossing his arms in disapproval. Despite the cold weather, Xavier had the courage to wear a striped green and silver tee shirt with a sleeveless, hooded sweater. The tight jeans around his legs caused many heads to turn, but none of them were of the one he wanted.

"There's nothing dull about my clothing." Tom stated.

Sebastian fixed Tom's loose tie, straightening it to his liking. "Where's Harry?" He asked. "I didn't see him in his bed this morning. I'm worried."

Tom hadn't told them about what had happened the day before with Harry. He wasn't even sure himself what had happened. One moment, he and Harry are sharing an almost romantic moment and the next, Harry is casting spells. Nothing about it made sense to Tom.

That's what angered Tom more; the fact that he didn't understand. Harry's outburst brought many more questions and realizations. Right after, it had dawned on Tom that he knew next to nothing about Harry. All he knew was that Harry's last name was Potter and that he was a Parselmouth. Two things. Tom knew two things about Harry and nothing else.

"Harry's probably fine. Probably feeling sick or something and went to Nurse Sedo." Xavier led them to the High Street of Hogsmeade. "Besides, it'll give us a chance to get him a Christmas present without him knowing."

"I don't celebrate Christmas." Tom stated.

Sebastian pulled on his coat; a chill wind blowing passed them. "What if he gets you something and you have nothing for him?"

"Why would Harry get something for me?"

"Because we're all bestests friends!" Xavier cheered loudly, his voice echoing in the empty street. He then went in to hug the both of them, but was only allowed to embrace Sebastian.

"I've never given you two anything for Christmas before." Tom walked on ahead of them, going into Dervish & Banges. "I see no point in starting now."

Sebastian and Xavier sighed at Tom's arrogance and followed him into the shop. "We're never going to find anything in here. Let's go to Diagon Alley." Xavier said.

"How are we going to get there?" asked Sebastian while inspecting a rather dusty orb. "We need permission slips to leave the castle for the holidays."

Xavier thought about it for a second. "My family went to visit the states where's it's warmer. They asked if I wanted to go, but it sounded dull. Wish I'd gone though; it would have given me an excuse to leave the grounds and get the stuff at Diagon Alley."

"All my family is in Australia right now. They can't sign any permission slip from all the way over there. It will take days by owl." Sebastian groaned at their predicament. "Besides, weren't the students who were going to spend the holidays home supposed to leave yesterday? Even if we could leave, it's too late now."

"We can go."

Both of them looked at Tom who had kept silent. "How?" They asked.

"Professor Slughorn mentioned running some errands at Diagon Alley. He offered to take me, but I declined. He'll take us if we ask."

Sebastian smiled warmly and hugged Tom. "So we're going to celebrate Christmas?" He asked enthusiastically.

"…Yes."

Xavier let something out that sounded like the male equivalent of a squeal and threw his arms over Tom. He planted a kiss on the boy's cheek and refused to let go despite Tom's efforts to push him away. "I already know what I'm going to get you, Tom!"

Sebastian pushed Xavier off and put his own arms around Tom. "He already has your virginity. What else can you offer?"

"It's a surprise!"

"Whatever. Let's go now before we see Harry." Tom led them out of the store and the strange stares of the store owner.

Xavier and Sebastian took Tom's words as not wanting to spoil the surprise for Harry, but that was far from the truth. Seeing Harry brought confusion to Tom, a feeling that he wasn't used to. Everything he's studied was always understandable, but Harry was something he couldn't quite comprehend.

They left Hogsmeade earlier than the other students. There was nothing there to keep their attention. At their dorms, Harry was still nowhere to be seen which was both good and bad.

"I really hope he's alright." Sebastian gazed up at his work of art, rubbing his hands together in agitation.

"He's fine." Tom reassured and retrieved a pouch of galleons from the drawer beside his bed.

Tom didn't sound very convincing to himself, but Sebastian seemed more at ease. If Tom said something was true, then it must be true.

Tom pulled out three pieces of parchment and produced a quill from his cloak. Dipping the end in black ink, Tom wrote eloquently on the paper. The warm air in the room dried the ink and Tom rolled it before heading out.

The group found Professor Slughorn in his office, playing with some new ingredients a colleague of his brought back from Switzerland. He mumbled to himself, "I'm going to need some wolf bane."

"Then how about a trip to Diagon Alley?"

Slughorn nearly jumped in his velvet lounge chair at the sudden voice. His features relaxed when he saw Tom standing at his doorway with the Australian wizard and Malfoy beauty.

"Diagon Alley? I suppose now would be a good time to go." Slughorn pulled out his wand and pointed at his potion. The ingredients he had been using sprung to life and scuttled to their appropriate places. The stains on the table vanished and the desk was left as clean as the day Slughorn bought it.

Sebastian asked in a polite manner, "Would it be possible for you take us with you, Professor?"

"Of course, children, of course! Do you each have your permission slips?" Slughorn stretched out his hand, waiting for them to hand their parent's signatures over.

"Permission slips?" Xavier asked, dumbfounded. "But Tom said you wou—"

"Here you are, Professor." Tom gave Xavier a look and handed Slughorn the parchment he had written on just moments before.

Professor Slughorn looked them over, making sure that their parent's gave them permission to leave the castle. "Everything seems in order. Shall we be going?"

"Yes, Professor." The dark wizard smiled. A fake smile. The kind that everyone usually saw from Tom.

Slughorn smiled back. A smile that showed complete trust towards Tom, no matter what.

-+-+-+-+-+-

Sleep without dreams is like snow without cold. They both go hand in hand, but even if one was missing, it wouldn't be so bad. Sleep without nightmares is like a kiss without lust. There's no fear, but there's also no emotion; no passion.

It felt like coming out of a long coma when Harry finally awoke. His mind felt clear of all thought and it took him a moment to take in the scenery around him.

The young wizard was still in the Hospital Wing, lying beneath clean, white sheets. The pillow under his head felt extra soft and the blankets wrapped around him like a cloud. He wanted to stay in his small piece of heaven, but his muscles felt tense. They needed to be moved; he needed a walk.

Nurse Sedo was tending to another bed, whispering comforting words to a seventh year Slytherin. She wouldn't notice if he left and Harry took advantage of that. Silently pulling the bed's covers away from him, Harry got into his shoes and snuck out of the room, finally free.

Harry almost tripped over his own feet, feeling as if he was using them for the very first time. After awhile, memory of how to control his motor skills returned along with his ability to speak. He climbed down the revolving stairs, skipped past the false steps, wandered the halls, and finally ended up at the dorm.

The room was empty. Harry had been hoping it hadn't been. He was feeling a bit lonely. Sighing, the wizard collapsed on his bed, hearing a strange crumpling noise. A note had been left on his bed and Harry retrieved it form his underside. A sheepish smile crept on his face while reading it:

_Harry,_

_Xavier, Sebastian, and I have gone out momentarily. We did not see you at this morning or at Hogsmeade and Sebastian is beginning to worry. Hopefully you're not dead. That would be depressing, I suppose. What with the holidays coming up and such. Ah yes, Sebastian and Xavier have convinced me of taking celebration in this year's Christmas festivities. There's to be a gift exchange among us, I think. I don't really know nor care, but it's what they wanted. _

_Also, we need to discuss what happened the oth—Harry? Harry! It's Xavier! Hiya! Aww, it's so sweet that Tom is writing to you (I think he likes you!). And where have you been?! I miss you!! Sebastian's worried too and it's not the same... Tom thinks you're dead?! That's not very nice! He shouldn't write that, I'm going to cross it out. Tom's giving me a weird look…I think I should go now. Here, Sebastian wants to write something too._

'_Ello, Harry. Xavier was sitting on Tom and now Tom's casting jinxes at him. I hope you're alright. It's been a day and none of us have seen you. Did a Bunyip get you? Oh no, you can't fair against those! Harry, you mustn't fight a Bunyip! You're fighting one, aren't you? That's why you're not here! We'll save you, Harry! Don't die! Why did Tom say that? It might be true! HARRY! DON'T DIE! BUNYIPS WILL EA_

_…I don't even want to know what those two were writing. A Bunyip? I'm not even sure if that's a real creature or not. Sebastian is worrying too much and Xavier…no words can describe him. But honestly, you have been gone for a day. And it has been strange not having you around. Don't' confuse this with me feeling worried. It just feels weird is all. We'll be leaving now and will be awaiting your return. We should come back around dinner. We'll hopefully see you there._

_Tom, Xavier, Sebastian_

_P.S. We still need to discuss what happened. _

Harry found himself laughing throughout the letter. Xavier's strangeness, Sebastian's worry, and Tom's scolding was enough to bring tears to Harry's eyes and pain in his stomach from the laughter. He hadn't realized how much he had worried them, especially Tom. The letter said that it was only a weird feeling, but Harry could tell that Tom felt some sense of worry at Harry's absence.

Everything had made Harry feel joyous until the post script. Did Tom really want to talk about it? Harry didn't feel like it. It was a moment that was best forgotten and would hopefully never come again. Of course, the special moment that occurred between them was something Harry didn't want to forget. But remembering the tingles from Tom's touch also made him remember the unreal voice.

Harry shook his head. He wouldn't remember; he didn't want to. The entire thing had to have been a part of Harry's imagination…but then why did it feel so real? Why did the voice appear so clear in Harry's mind that it would cause a reaction from his scar? Harry couldn't explain it, so it was best left forgotten.

Harry rolled up the parchment and tucked it away in his robe. There was no point in remaining in the room if he was going to be alone. Dinner wasn't for hours and it was too late to go to Hogsmeade. So far, it sounded like it was going to be a dull day.

Mainly the older years occupied the hallways. Hogsmeade was usually for the younger years that weren't used to going there. But the sixth and seventh years had grown bored with it and now remained in the castle on the trips there.

Groups of Slytherins chatted in the halls, complaining about the annoying change of scenery for the holidays. The Christmas decorations were already hanging on the paintings and the knights were covered with tinsel. The Ravenclaws found it beautiful and they would stand in awe and the Christmas trees scattered throughout the castle.

Peeves the Poltergeist was taking advantage of the new scenery and held mistletoe over unsuspecting people, most of them of the same sex. He would laugh at them saying, "Mistletoe, mistletoe! You two have to kiss, kiss, kiss! If you don't then you'll get coal for Christmas." Most of the students would ignore him and walk away, others would actually do it (to his surprise), and the rest would start yelling at him to go away.

Myrtle was at the library, wrapping a gift. Olive seemed to be showing some Christmas cheer and kept her torture to little things like a trip every now and then. The gift Myrtle was wrapping was for Olive, most likely an attempt to thwart off her bully. Harry doubted it would work though.

He recalled attempting to bribe Dudley with candy when he was younger. Dudley would take the treats along with a promise to not pick on Harry, but he would quickly "forget" about it and blame Harry for all sorts of mischief.

Harry saw Hagrid sneaking around with a plate of table scraps from lunch in his hand. When he saw Harry, Hagrid held onto the plate more protectively and hurried passed the wizard. It saddened Harry that they couldn't be friends, but it was probably for the best. Who knows what might change in the future if he befriended Hagrid now.

Minerva McGonagall was with Eileen Prince in the grand hall, reviewing notes for the N.E.W.T.S.

The Slytherin Quidditch team was hanging out in front of one of the tinseled suits of armor. Finally, something that can get rid of Harry's boredom. He was about to call out to them, but the mention of Tom's name stopped him in his tracks.

"—then Tom got on his knees and licked my—"

"Trey, we don't want to know about your sexual escapades."

"But he was better than any girl I've ever been with!"

One of the Beaters whistled. "That's saying something considering all the girls you've been with."

"Am I the only one who cares that Tom is a _guy_?" A chaser commented, disgusted.

The Quidditch captain, Trey, reasoned with the group. "It doesn't matter that Tom's a guy. What he did that night was bloody wicked. He had me cumming over and over and—"

Harry didn't want to hear the rest. He was running so fast in the opposite direction that it was a miracle he didn't crash into anyone.

Tom had said something about _returning the favor_, but Harry didn't actually think _that's_ what he meant by it. The thought had crossed his mind, but Tom was more civilized than that. Or so he thought.

Jealousy surged through Harry's veins for reasons he didn't know. It wasn't as if he was a couple with Tom anyway, so why be jealous? Why feel heartbroken when hearing about another's sexual escapades? Why feel so incredibly lonely when he's not here?

There was an answer to all those questions; a simple answer that Harry didn't want to accept despite all the feelings and emotions. Cho Chang never did this to him and neither to Ginny Weasly. Harry was having experiences that he wished he weren't having. Call them male teenage hormones or puberty, but Harry was beyond that stage in life. He didn't crave Tom. Harry just wanted to be in the same room as him; to speak with him, hear his laugh.

But all of that was wrong. That's what Harry continuously told himself. Tom, Xavier, Sebastian—all of it was wrong and Harry should have nothing to do with it. But the more he tried to pull away, the closer he found himself being with those three, especially Tom. More than anything, Harry had wanted to leave this era. Now, he just wants to be acknowledged by the one he hated his entire life.

Pathetic.

If only his friends could see him now, getting jealous and depressed over some guy. Harry sighed. Hermione would probably tell him about all the pros and cons of the relationship—and considering who the guy was—there would be only cons. Ron—he would be disgusted, but would probably accept the fact that Harry might like a boy. He wouldn't be able to get over the fact that that boy was Tom Marvolo Riddle, however.

Harry felt a headache coming on as a sense of nostalgia flowed through him. With Christmas almost here and Tom's letter saying they were going to celebrate it, gifts were needed. The only money Harry had was the pouch of galleons he had been carrying when first casting the Tempus Inconcessus. It wasn't a lot and Harry needed to save it for any emergency he might have. For all he knew, he might be spending the summer on the streets. Harry would need every Sickle he had.

Besides, people always say that the best gifts are made and not bought. All that was needed was a few supplies.

Harry asked Professor Hotot if he could borrow a camera. The dull professor agreed without asking why, most likely because he didn't care. This would be for Xavier's gift. For Sebastian, Harry used the library to do some research. He then borrowed the aid of Minerva; she seemed good with her hands. All that was left was to make something for Tom. The question was: what?

Tom was an enigmatic person that excelled in most things. He had friends, popularity, intelligence, praise. What do you give a person that doesn't need anything? The question remained lodged in Harry's mind until he gave up for the moment. Perhaps a night's sleep would give him an idea on what to give the infamous Tom Riddle.

Harry wanted to wait for the other's to return, but the time was getting late. He felt bad for worrying them and wanted to make it up to them. But lately, the yearning for sleep was constant and Harry found it harder to fight against it each time. He would apologize to them in the morning. In the meantime, Harry tried to dream of Tom's gift and wondered what they would give him. Christmas was going to be interesting this year.

* * *

My internet died for some reason and I couldn't get this chapter out sooner than intended and I'm sorry for that. This chapter is basically leading up to a Christmas one which most of you will probably be sick of by the end of the year considering almost ever writer will probably be doing one. It's just coincidence that the time period in this story and in life is so similar…yes…coincidence. Please review because they help me encourage me to write a LOT! This chapter was longer than the others for some reason…see? They work! Keep on reviewing and I'll keep on writing xD 


	10. Room of Requirement

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 9 – Room of Requirement_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter. Short, quick, and to the point…nothing witty right here.

**Warning: **This chapter will contain some Christmas clichés. Yes I know, you all must be sick of them, but it's not a Christmas chapter without them. There will also be a lot of Tom and Harryness because I felt like it. I blame the Christmas spirit.

**Author's Note: **I know I know, it's too late for a Christmas chapter, but need I remind you that my internet was down? I would have written this sooner and had it up by Christmas had it not been for the damn phone company. So now you're all going to have to bear the curses of Christmas even though it's been over for weeks…blame the phone company and enjoy. Oh! And please review because God wills it…as well as Buddha…and Moses…and Bob…fear Bob.

* * *

Tom wanted to talk. Harry could tell he did, which was why he came up to the younger wizard and pulled him away from Sebastian and Xavier.

The four of them of were enjoying breakfast on the eve of Christmas and Tom continued to look in Harry's direction, his expression always changing. Sometimes he would glare at Harry, staring intensely as if to implode the boy's mind. Other times, Tom gave Harry the strangest looks that seemed to beckon for the wizard. No matter what looks he was getting, Harry had had enough of silence.

Tom wouldn't speak with him even though it was clearly shown that he wanted to. Harry wanted to know why; he wanted things to go back to when they bickered and argued. It was during those times that Harry found Tom most vulnerable. It was always easier to talk to Tom after an argument; it always filled Harry with warmth whenever they spoke whether in whispers or in bitter yells.

So it was to Tom's surprise when Harry annoyingly hit his fork against his plate during breakfast. Sebastian jumped in his seat at the sudden clash of metal against glass and Xavier looked over at Harry with confusion. There was a quick twitch on Tom's part, but he quickly hid it and pretended to not have noticed Harry's strange acts.

Lack of response or questioning infuriated Harry, forcing him to angrily get out of his seat and drag Tom with him. Sebastian and Xavier were getting out of their seats as well to follow, but a death glare from Harry scared them away. He wanted to be alone with Tom at the moment and not be disturbed. Harry pulled Tom out of the Grand Hall and they walked to nowhere in particular.

Now that Harry had Tom alone, he discovered that he didn't know what to say. For awhile, the two walked in silence passed the enchanted Christmas decorations. The people in the paintings were in the Christmas spirit and were dressed up accordingly, wearing red and white clothing with a Santa hat. Green wreaths hung on the walls and snow covered the railings of the stairs. Polished knights turned their heads in Tom and Harry's direction as they walked by.

Everyone knew Tom; the professors, the students, even the paintings that hung idly on the castle walls. They also knew the kind of person he wanted people to think he was. The paintings saw Tom as a person who rarely spoke with others except for Sebastian and Xavier. He kept to himself and focused mainly on his studies. So it was an odd occurrence for them to witness Tom in the company of another person that wasn't blond or Australian. Four months into the school year and not many people knew of Harry's acquaintanceship with Tom. It was something that wasn't spoken openly by either of them. Not by Tom because he hardly spoke to anyone at all and not by Harry because he didn't have anyone else to talk to.

Harry was a foreigner who appeared out of the blue. The students had formed strong friendships after attending the school for seven years. Not many wanted to add to their list of friends by speaking with Harry, a stranger. But it was best because Harry didn't want to interfere with the lives of anyone else. The future depended on him being as unknown as possible.

"We've had some strange moments." Tom's voice caused them to stop.

Looking around (to avoid Tom's gaze), Harry recognized the part of the castle they were at. Right beside him was a vacant wall he knew to have magical properties. Harry walked away from it and Tom followed.

"What do you mean by strange?"

"You know what I mean." Tom walked away from Harry, passed the empty wall. "The time you were gone the entire day. None of use knew where you were. You made us worry."

"'Us'? You were worried about me, too?" Harry's tone was bit sadistic, unable to believe Tom's words.

"You bloody know I was, Potter." Tom retaliated with the same tone, but quickly took it back. "Sorry…I don't want to fight with you. It's just…you make me so angry. I don't understand you, Harry, and it's irritating me. You say you're not gay and yet you don't mind it when I touch or kiss you. You don't care when Xavier flirts with you or begs for your love. You pop out of nowhere and somehow end up in my life—a luxury that only Xavier and Sebastian had before you came along. You know spells I've never heard of, you're a Parselmouth, and the way you act—it's bizarre. There are plenty of other people here at Hogwarts, but you don't speak with any of them. There's something you're keeping from everyone and it's aggravating that I don't know what it is!"

Tom paced back and forth, venting his frustrations. Harry remained silent as Tom spoke, really not knowing what to say.

"Back when I was telling you about Sebastian's mural, I thought that I had finally gotten passed your barrier. We were able to speak without words, Harry. We were connecting—a trait that few people share."

"We barely speak to each other. You've been avoiding me and refused to speak with me. How can you call what we have a 'connection'?" Harry approached Tom and the two stood facing each other.

"Because you have no past, no history, no reason. You keep everything bottled up inside you and don't tell anyone anything. We're both so similar. That connection we had, you broke it without warning. Something happened and you looked as if you were about to kill me." Tom towered over Harry, casting a shadow over the wizard. Harry moved back, feeling the wall against him and Tom before him. "I want to know: Why?"

Something pierced Harry's back making him clench his eyes. There was a small pain in his side, catching Tom's curiosity. He held Harry and moved him aside. Behind the wizard was a door that hadn't been there before. A knob was placed where Harry had been standing, calling for someone to turn it.

"Has this door always been here?"

The wall was where Harry had held the D.A. meetings back in his fifth year. It is a secret room in Hogwarts that can become any room the person desires. All they need to do is really want it. Harry did nothing to activate its magic, so it must have been a strong desire from Tom that revealed its location.

Tom turned the knob and the pushed the door open. Neither of them knew what lay on the other side and embraced for whatever the room may hold.

Strange objects covered the surface of the walls. There was a massive hourglass with black sand pouring against the pull of gravity. Tom and Harry took a step into the room and the door disappeared behind them. A source of light radiated from a mirror on the wall; somehow it lit the entire room. There were paintings hanging on the walls, but most were tattered and unrecognizable. There were streaks of black against the faces of people and scratches where their eyes should be, purposely desecrating the works of art. None of the painting moved on their own having not been magicked.

Tom found a large, wooden wardrobe beside the glowing mirror. Cautiously, he opened it and lit the interior with his wand. Clothes hung on hangars. The designs were unfamiliar to Tom. The material was soft, but strong and the way the clothes were woven, it seemed strange to him. The clothing was well-known by Harry, though. He never thought that clothes would strike such fear into him. Somehow, the wardrobe held contents that didn't exist; not yet. They were commonly worn by everyone, but not for another few decades. Where exactly was he?

"Tom, what were you thinking about before you saw this door?" Harry closed the wardrobe and tried to find the door.

"Why? Do you know where we are?" Tom gazed at the glowing mirror curiously. His face reflected back at him; nothing odd about the glass. Tom smiled; his reflection smiled; he blinked; so did his reflection. Without warning, Tom pulled out his wand and cast "Reducto!" shattering the mirror into thousands of shards. His reflection remained on the broken shards, letting out a silent howl of fury.

The mirror reminded Harry all too well of the obstacles protecting the Ravenclaw horcrux on Spinner's End.

"It was faux glass." Tom said, noticing Harry's confused look. "They're used for holding Doppelgangers, but as soon as they see a person, they take on their form and are able to leave the mirror.

That explained the mirrors he, Hermione, and Ron faced.

Tom looked about the rest of the room, discovering strange artifacts that he had only seen in books. There was a drawer containing a quill that could write without ink, a useful tool that Harry used plenty of times in his time. A Remembrall was mixed between blank parchments and documents. Tom picked it up curiously, watching the grey smoke twirl inside. He tossed it in the air, feelings its weight before putting it in his pocket.

Harry didn't like that there were futuristic items in here. Tom was probably never supposed to find this room and Harry had led him straight into it. The Room of Requirement became into what a person desired most. Tom wanted to know 'why' Harry hid all the things he did. The wizard couldn't let Tom find out; they had to leave.

In the corner of the room was a sort of cauldron that caught Tom's eye. He wandered to it and gazed into its contents. There were floating streams of silver, swimming about in plasma that seemed endless. Images appeared as a silver strand passed close to Tom: a man with an incredibly long, white beard who bore a striking resemblance to Professor Dumbledore. Tom saw a boy with flaming, red hair and clothes that were a size too big for him. The red-headed boy chatted with two people: one of which was a frizzy haired girl who was carrying a massive amount of books with her. The other was a boy with glasses and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead.

"Tom, I think we should leave." Harry looked around, no longer seeing the dark wizard. That's when he saw, in the corner of the room, a Pensieve that held the power to store memories and Tom was leaning right in front of it.

The images grew clearer and another strand of silver passed by Tom, injecting into him another memory of an unknown person: The boy with the scar was in Hogwarts, in the girl's bathroom on the second floor to be exact. The boy spoke in Parseltongue and the sink suddenly rose, revealing a hidden passageway into an abyss.

The memory skipped forward. The boy with the scar held a sword in his hand and a mammoth serpent was standing before him, bearing its poisonous fangs. The creature slithered around the boy, chasing him until he was cornered. It hissed at the boy, cursing at him for its inability to see and struck forward.

Just as the boy was about to swing his mighty sword, the images became blurred and distant. Farther away the pictures went and Tom found himself looking at the frightened face of Harry.

"What did you see?" Harry's voice nearly cracked, fearing for the memories Tom could have seen. His body was shaking and his eyes revealed the most fear.

"I think I saw—you." Tom didn't know what was making Harry so scared, but at the mention of the wizard's name, Harry's eyes opened wide. "There was a snake—no, it looked more like a Basilisk I think. You were going to kill it…" Tom wanted to look back at the Pensieve, but Harry's grip on his arm was starting to hurt. The wizard appeared to be in a daze and he stared blankly at Tom. He decided that it was probably best to leave now; Harry seemed as if he was in shock.

Tom tried to bring Harry out of his frozen state, shaking him roughly. The young wizard blinked a few times and acknowledged Tom and the room they were in. There was a sense of panic coming from him and they both went to where they had come in. The door reappeared and Tom led the way out.

The door vanished and the empty wall took its place once more. Both of them returned to breakfast in silence and Sebastian and Xavier didn't question them, much to their gratitude. They ate their now cold food and returned to the dorm rooms.

Sebastian made a comment about Xavier's hair, saying something about if he grew it any longer it would make him look like a girl, and they began to argue. Tom took this opportunity of their distraction and set himself on Harry's bed.

Harry was trying to finish the overdue _Auror Training _book, but he had been reading the same sentence five times already. It brought both comfort and tension when he felt Tom's presence beside him.

"I want you to tell me exactly what happened back then." Tom's voice was stern and firm. "The day you left; I want to know why."

A sigh of relief escaped Harry, thankful that they weren't going to discuss today's earlier events. The futuristic items, the Pensieve—Harry didn't want Tom to know anything about them. In order to keep it that way, he would have to keep the wizard's mind on other matters. Harry decided to use the truth to distract him; part of it.

"I thought I heard someone I knew. He said things I didn't want to hear and…it scared me. I just needed to be alone at that time. I'm sure it was all in my mind though." Harry offered a weak smile and Tom's expression remained stoic. There was a questioning stare in the way his eyes pondered Harry's actions.

"Hearing voices now, Harry? Sounds like you fell off your broom one too many times."

Whatever opinion Harry had before about Tom was changed. Tom didn't want anyone to know it, but he actually cared. The way he accepted something so easily and didn't question any further was what showed his fondness for the wizard. He was sympathetic to Harry's feelings and didn't persist on things Harry didn't want to talk about. That made Harry extremely grateful.

Harry was lying on his side with the book opened in front of him. Tom sat behind him with his arm over Harry's waist to keep himself steady. Their heads faced each other and both could see the other smiling. There were still many mysteries about Harry that Tom wanted to know about, but not right now. During this moment in time, all Tom wanted was to just look at Harry. The memory of Harry battling a Basilisk was just details, but Harry's emerald eyes were life. They revealed a life of turmoil; one that Tom could relate to. For someone so young, Harry's eyes held a great amount of wisdom. Solely based on Harry's green orbs, Tom could see the hardships Harry had gone through. Because of that, there was a sense of wanting to protect the wizard from facing anymore troubles. He had already gone through so much.

"I think they're going to kiss." Xavier whispered loudly to Sebastian, sitting on the floor with his legs crossed. The two of them were staring at Tom and Harry like children looking at something they shouldn't be looking at.

"They're not going to if you say they're going to, Nong." said Sebastian.

"He's right you know." Tom pushed himself up and got on his feet. "Too bad. Now I can't kiss Harry because of Xavier."

"What? No, forget I said anything! I want to see some boy-loving!" Xavier cried out.

Harry pulled on Tom's arm and whispered in his ear. "Maybe tonight." Harry didn't know what unknown force made his say that, but he was glad he did. It was finally time to be open with his feelings and the surprised reaction on Tom's face would make it worthwhile.

-+-+-+-+-+-

That night, Hogwarts was filled with life. It was Christmas Eve and students wanted to wait until the stroke of midnight before opening their presents. Gifts were exchanged earlier that day from people of other houses. Anticipation filled all the younger students as each minute passed and moved closer to twelve. The Hufflepuff house was the liveliest, almost all of its residents counting the second until Christmas arrived. Next was the Gryffindor house with most of the students sitting near the Common Room's Christmas tree. The Ravenclaw's wanted to rest and open their gifts as the first rays of the sun shown threw their windows. It was the Slytherin house who didn't believe much in the Christmas spirit and act of giving gifts. Few of the members offered presents and the most enthusiastic of them was Xavier Malfoy.

"Just three more minutes." Xavier stared at the clock, hoping that his efforts would make time speed up. "Two minutes and fifty-nine seconds…fifty-eight seconds…fifty-seven seconds…" A red Santa's hat rested on his head with a white pom-pom on the end that swayed as his head followed the seconds on the clock.

There was tree in their room, transfigured by Harry from one of Xavier's shoes. The three of them had decorated it by hand, only using magic to transfigure the ornaments for their very own Christmas tree. The star on the crown of the tree was the only object not created by magic. Xavier wanted to use a star-shaped cookie and no one disagreed with him. So there was their Christmas tree with a sugar cookie star in the corner of the room. Their presents for each other lay beneath it except for Xavier's. He had already gathered his gifts and held onto them protectively until it was time to open them.

"…one minute and thirty-two seconds…thirty-one…thirty-zero…"

Snow was falling from the ceiling, only to vanish before touching anything. The angelic children from the 'Lost Trust' were having fun with the enchanted snow and were having themselves a snowball fight. They built snowmen and played carols on their harps and strings.

"…eleven…ten…nine…eight…seven…"

A fire heated the room from its specially crafted fireplace. The smoke disappeared like the snow and a barrier prevented the carpet from catching fire from the sparks. The flames cast a shadow on everyone in the room. Sebastian sat in between Harry and Tom, watching back and forth as the two exchanged glances. Their warmth was warmer than any fire and it was a shame that Xavier was too enthralled with the presents that he wasn't a part of their embrace.

"…six…five…four…THREE…TWO…ONE! MERRY CHRISTMAS!" The blond wizard cheered merrily and attacked his presents with energy not seen at midnight. Sebastian, Tom, and Harry watched with fascination as Xavier ripped the wrapping paper right off of Sebastian' gift to him.

The shredding of the wrapping paper revealed a painting made by the Australian wizard. It was a portrait of the blond, depicting him in what he saw himself as: Perfection. Each stroke of the brush accented Xavier's flawless image. His long, blond hair fell just barely reach his shoulders. Sebastian painted him without a shirt, exposing his chiseled chest and abs. His eyes pierced the gazer of the painting, bringing them into submission with just a glance.

"It's beautiful." Xavier said in awe. He went over to Sebastian and gave him a hug and peck on the cheek. Despite their constant bickering, the two were good friends and it was moments like these that showed how much they valued their friendship.

Bringing his presents over to the group, Xavier proceeded to opening Tom's present. He wanted to save Harry's for last. Tom's gift was strangely wrapped, making a figure that resembled a vase. Xavier opened it delicately, revealing a vase with distorted patterns painted all over it.

"If you put any liquid in it, it won't ever run out." Tom explained, having found it in an antique shop in Diagon Alley.

"_Any _ liquid?" Xavier asked and Tom rolled his eyes.

Xavier kissed Tom lightly on the lips and took out Harry's gift. He had no idea what it could be, especially if it was in an envelope. Opening it, Xavier took out what looked like photos. The first one was of Harry sitting on his bed with a smile. Nothing abnormal about it at all. Xavier looked at the next one which showed Harry pulling on his shirt, showing some skin to the blond. The next one had the wizard's shirt over his head, revealing things Xavier had only imagined countless times. There were two photos left and Xavier's heart raced as he looked at the next one. Harry had his glasses off and was playing with his belt. Xavier felt his pants tighten and quickly went to the last one. Harry had his clothes back on and was holding a hand-made sign that read: Merry Christmas.

"You're pure evil, Harry." Xavier put the photos back in the envelope and put that in his back pocket. "Evil!" He repeated.

"Open yours, Sebastian." Harry stuck his tongue out at Xavier and handed Sebastian his gift.

Sebastian began with Harry's gift, feeling something soft as he did so. "A Bunyip doll!"

"Minerva helped me make it." Harry said.

"It looks so real." Sebastian poked at the button eyes and held it close. "This is the cutest Bunyip I've ever seen." The Australian wizard hugged it tightly and thanked Harry. He set the Bunyip plushy on his side and opened Xavier's present.

It was a paint set that had brushes, paint, and other things needed by a superb artist. "It's supposed to automatically make anything you paint come to life." Xavier said cheerfully.

"Thank you. I love it." Sebastian pecked Xavier on the cheek. "And Tom's present…" He unwrapped a strange orb filled with grey smoke. "…is a thingy?"

"A Remembrall?!" Harry couldn't believe that Tom had taken it; an item he didn't even know the use of.

"That's what it's called?" Tom crossed his arms and cocked a brow at Harry.

"Yeah…they have those where I come from."

"What's it do?" Sebastian asked, twirling the ball in his hands.

Harry found no point in lying, considering he had been caught at it already. "When the smoke turns red, it means you're forgetting something." He explained.

"I'm always forgetting things, thank you, Tom." Sebastian kissed the wizard and put his Bunyip plushy in his lap. "Harry, open my gift!" He handed Harry a loosely wrapped presents.

It felt like a blanket, so Harry carefully took off the wrapping paper. "An Invisibility Cloak?" Harry was astonished, unable to believe that someone would give something so valuable away.

"My parents gave it to me in my first year. I've never used it though, so I want you to have it."

"Thank you." was all Harry could muster up to say. Sebastian's generosity was admirable. Harry didn't think he could ever give away his father's Invisibility Cloak. But it was out of spite and depression that had caused him to forget it.

"Mine next, mine next!" Xavier's squealed.

The blonde's present was poorly wrapped; just a piece of wrapping paper wrapped around a spherical object with a few pieces of tape here and there.

"It's a crystal ball. It's supposed to let you see anyone you want no matter where they are or what they're doing." Xavier said with a bit of immaturity.

"Thanks?" Harry gazed at his reflection in the crystal ball, not really sure Xavier was implying.

"Here." Tom gave Harry his gift; a fairly long object that felt a bit heavy.

The weight felt familiar and the size meant only one thing. "A broom!" The detailing was superb for something of its time.

"It's called the Silver Arrow." explained Tom. Harry remembered Madame Hooch comparing his old Firebolt to it.

"I don't know what to you say. You guys have given me too much." It felt almost wrong to accept all of these gifts.

"You're our best mate, Harry." Sebastian grinned and ruffled Harry's hair.

"And it's Christmas." Xavier added.

"So accept your presents and let me open mine." Tom smirked before unwrapping his presents.

Sebastian had given him an ancient book. There was no title or author. Actually, it seemed more like a diary, but despite the blank pages, Sebastian called it a book.

Xavier gave Tom an egg. He said it was going to hatch into a snake so Tom could have someone to talk to when no one was around. The language of the Parselmouth shouldn't be wasted and Xavier wanted Tom to exercise it. The egg came with an aquarium filled with a snake's natural habitat, so Tom would have a place to keep the snake when it hatches.

When it was time for Harry to present his gift, a small blush tinged his cheeks. The wizard handed a small box to Tom. The dark wizard pulled out a leaf of mistletoe. He stared at it curiously, unsure of what to do with it. Having been magicked, the mistletoe sprang to life and hovered over their heads. It shook slightly making a bell-like noise that jingled until its tradition was met.

"_Now_ they're going to kiss." Sebastian whispered to Xavier. The blond nodded with a satisfied smile.

It was the first kiss that Harry gave Tom. All the ones prior were of Tom kissing him. The ones that always confused Harry because when they were over it left him wanting for more. Feeling Tom's wet lips meshing with his own sent tingles up Harry's spine. Their eyes closed but their images were clear in their minds.

Tom leaned back, pulling Harry on top of him, never breaking the kiss. Gravity pushed Harry's waist against Tom's, feeling a bulge in the boy's pants. Harry lapped at Tom's tongue, sending sparks throughout the boy's body. Harry let out a soft moan when something rubbed against his groin and his body felt weak. The arm holding him over Tom collapsed and their bodies were now pressed together.

"Should we give them some privacy?" Sebastian asked quietly.

"Shhh, this is my favorite part." Xavier silenced the boy and watched the two intently with hungry eyes.

Harry rolled on his back and Tom was now over him, letting out small gasps while Tom kissed up and down his neck. The dark wizard left his mark on Harry, covering him with darkened skin that Tom nipped at.

For a first kiss in what felt like ages, the two were really going at it. Xavier was surprised (and disappointed) that they weren't tearing each other's clothes off. Tom wanted to take things further, but Harry refused for the time being. They both settled on moving to Harry's bed and continuing their exchange of gifts.

Sebastian hugged his Bunyip plushy, saying something about the magic of Christmas while Xavier tried hard to not touch himself. They extinguished the magically protected fire and stopped the enchanted snow from falling. Sebastian got into his bed, Bunyip in his arms, and said goodnight. Xavier kept his eyes on the couple and headed to his bed, almost tripping because of his intense concentration on the tongue action. He said goodnight, but really had no intention of sleeping. Xavier wanted to see how far Tom and Harry were actually going to go, plus, he always enjoyed watching.

They kissed until Xavier was too tired to watch any longer. It was as if they were making up for time they could have had together all along.

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Everyone, thank you for all of the reviews! A lot of them were really helpful and give me ideas and constructive critcism which i could always use. Please take the time to review when you're finished reading because it lets me know if you guys like what you're reading; and if you don't like it, give me some pointers to make it better for you because this story is written for you guys. Just wanted to say how much I appreciate all you who read this or any of my stories. Thanks. 


	11. Nagini is Born

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 10 – Nagini is Born_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter. However, when the world ends there will be no one to stop me from claiming ownership of these delicious characters. So just you wait until the world ends…any moment now…and they'll all be mine.

**Warning: **There's the introduction of a new character. I'm not sure if that's a warning, but just letting you know. And there will be some more Harry and Tom moments. Heed my warning _woosh_.

**Author's Note: **I'm not sure why, but when I'm watching a movie, I narrate scenes in my head in the way that I would write it on paper…is that weird? That either means I should stop writing or that fanfics have corrupted me. And sometimes, the word I want to use for something suddenly disappears from my memory and I usually make something up like "glockenspiel" (which is an endangered musical instrument for those of you who don't know). The reason I'm telling you this is because I can't think of anything to say about the chapter…so yeah.

* * *

Tom paced back and forth in front of the Room of Requirement. He looked at the wall and continued to see nothing but barren plaster. Again he paced and looked at the blank wall, seeing no knob and no door. Tom let out a groan of annoyance and paced more quickly. When the room persisted to remain hidden he kicked it angrily. He looked around him and confirmed that this was the right place. 

A few days after this incident, Tom returned for another attempt to enter the unknown room. What he had seen that day were things that no one could have possibly known about. Yet, Harry knew about the Remembrall…and it was Harry who he saw battling the Basilisk. No longer could Tom take the excuse that Harry was aware of these things because of his old school. But Tom had no way of confronting Harry about it. Like Tom, Harry wanted to keep his past a secret. And if Harry was a lot more like Tom then it would be difficult to uncover the wizard's mysterious past. But perhaps the key to finding that out was magically sealed within that room.

Although, would it be worth discovering something that Harry didn't want anyone to know about at the expense of the relationship they now had?

Normally, the answer would have been "yes", but Tom couldn't force himself to choose such an answer. Harry should have been a boy that he cared nothing for; like Trey or everyone else. They had only met a couple of months ago; had that been enough of a time for a bond to have formed? Tom couldn't nor didn't want to believe it, but the answer was "yes". It took long for Tom to even make friends with Sebastian and Xavier. How could he already feel so strongly for someone he knew nothing about?

He cursed in Parseltongue, still gaining no reaction from the wall and walked away.

Harry watched Tom through Xavier's crystal ball. He had been watching him for days, just walking around the area, most likely hoping for the room to appear again.

Harry couldn't blame Tom for wanting to know more, but it kind of hurt that Tom couldn't trust him. At least Tom didn't know how to unlock the Room of Requirement. If he were to ever open it then who knows what might change in the future. That room held too many futuristic items and Harry had no idea how it could even exist. What confused Harry to the point where he thought about it every night was the Pensieve which held his memories.

The battle with the Basilisk happened in his second year at Hogwarts and that was also the first time Harry saw Tom. Back then though, Harry had been young and didn't exhibit the emotions he had now.

Tom was a handsome boy, intelligent, and powerful. Qualities that Harry wished he could find in himself. There was a bit of jealousy towards the dark wizard, but Harry felt more admiration more than anything…and a twinge of fear.

It was scary to think about what Tom might become, so he tried to never think about it. He was stuck in the past; Harry had to admit to himself that there was no changing that. There was no hope of going back and he might as well make the best of it. There was no point in dwelling on the future. What mattered was what's happening now and that's meeting Tom for breakfast.

Putting the crystal ball away, Harry left the empty dorm room and headed to the Grand Hall to eat.

Xavier and Sebastian were waiting for him and Tom was arriving at the same time. Headmaster Dippet sat at the center of the head table. The normal Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Merrythought, sat on his left and Professor Slughorn was on his right. The Charms teacher, Hotot, stared at his plate dully and rubbed his eyes from fatigue. Professor Trelawney used her cards to see which foods were safe to eat and Professor Orcut, the Herbology teacher, used home-made spices to flavor his food.

Madame Sedo wasn't present; she worried more about her patients in the Hospital Wing and had her breakfast taken to her each morning. It was admirable how to she cared so much for her students. She brought warmth to the castle.

Sebastian had a textbook open on the table and he was muttering to himself as he read. The Bunyip doll Harry had given him for Christmas was on his lap, staring blankly at the uneaten food with its button eyes.

"What're you reading?" Harry asked.

Sebastian didn't hear him and Xavier had to answer for him. "He's studying for the O.W.L. Test, which isn't for months though. He's just being nerdy."

Sebastian managed to say "shut up" while repeating the words he read. Tom then pulled out his own textbook and began to read.

"Argh! Why is everyone studying?" Xavier complained. "My N.E.W.T. is much more important and you don't see me studying for that."

"That's because we care about our future." Sebastian said without looking up from his book. "Besides, it's not like it matters with you. Aren't you going to go into the family business anyway?"

"Yeah, so there's my excuse for not studying. What about yours, Harry?"

"Uh…" Harry thought about it and blamed laziness more than anything.

Tom looked up from his book at Harry, "You should be taking this more seriously than any of us. I thought you wanted to be an Auror. Can't do that if you fail the N.E.W.T. You're going to have to excel especially in Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts." He then slid closer to Harry. "We can study together," his voice lowered to a near whisper, "when no one's around."

Harry's body caved beneath Tom's voice. "I doubt we'd get much studying done."

"That's alright." Teasingly, Tom nipped at Harry's earlobe before resuming his studies.

"You guys are so cute!" Xavier commented with twinkling eyes. "I propose a foursome!"

"That sounds alright." Tom said.

"Really?!"

"Yeah. Me, Harry, Sebastian, and maybe that blond boy in my Advanced Runes class."

"But what about me?" Xavier sniffled.

"Ain't gonna happen." Harry shattered the blonde's dreams with a smile on his face. He couldn't help laughing at Xavier's distraught look and the blond crossed his arms in a huff.

After breakfast the four of them left for Potions together. Tom was walking beside Harry, looking straight ahead. Their hands dangled at their sides, tantalizing the other. Tom was never a person to openly display his affections in public, Harry had figured that much out. But still…it would be nice if they could hold hands. The thought was tempting and Harry kept on glancing at Tom's hand; at his long, slender fingers, hanging loose at his sides. All it would take was a little Gryffindor courage to move his hand onto Tom's and interlock their fingers.

But not all the courage of Godric Gryffindor could have given him the aid he needed to hold Tom Riddle's hand. Harry's faced dementors, inferi, even the Dark Lord himself, but wanting to be closer to the teenage boy beside him made all of that sound like a trip to Honeydukes.

Harry had to take the initiative because he knew that Tom wasn't going to. It was only a matter of stretching out his hand and grasping Tom's. That's all it would take.

"Just hold my hand already."

Harry stammered with surprise, "What makes you think I want to?"

"It's obvious you want to, Potter." Tom smirked and grabbed Harry's hand. "Better?"

It felt strange to hold Tom Riddle's hand, but in a good way. Their hands melded together with their fingers interlinked. Sebastian said "aww" making Harry's cheeks flush, but he didn't let go. He had wanted this and despite the fact that it wasn't him who initiated it, Harry didn't want let go. Even when they had to sit down for Potions class, Harry skeptically let go of Tom's soft hand and took notes on the Alocacco Remedy.

Xavier had stopped his flirtatious fun with Harry. Harry wasn't sure is if it was because Xavier no longer liked him or if it was because he was with Tom now. Actually, there was a change in behavior in both Sebastian and Xavier. No longer did the devious blond carry out plans to get under Harry's shirt; especially when Harry was around Tom. Sebastian gave them a surprising amount of support for their relationship. He didn't fawn over Tom or look at him with any desire whatsoever. It was as if Xavier and Sebastian no longer wanted Tom for themselves.

Harry found himself alone with Tom alone a lot. Whenever he was in the same room as the blond and Australian, they would leave them alone. Tom didn't say anything about it and took advantage of those situations by tempting Harry.

Between classes, homework, and studying the two of them had little time with each other. Harry was partially grateful when Xavier and Sebastian left them alone, but there was still that wanting of the reason why they always left without a word.

After the Quidditch match in January, Tom had to leave early to ask Slughorn about a potion that might be on the O.W.L. This was the opportunity Harry had wanted to speak with Sebastian and Xavier without Tom being there.

They both came up tot Harry to congratulate him on the win against Ravenclaw. "Great game, Harry. You had me on the edge of my seat the entire time." Xavier made no sexual remarks or any attempt at them. Nothing about mounting his broomstick or playing with balls.

"Ace match, Harry. My eyes could barely keep up with your new broom." Sebastian patted him on the back and both turned around to leave.

"Wait, you guys."

Xavier and Sebastian both stopped, hesitantly. "Harry, we don't mean to be off like a bucket of prawns in the hot sun, but we should get going."

"What he said." Xavier said and again they both tried to leave.

Frustration built in Harry and he blocked their paths. "Stop avoiding me."

"We're not avoiding you…" Sebastian couldn't meet Harry's eyes and Xavier never looked more serious in his life. "…we're avoiding Tom."

"Tom? Why?"

"He's different now." said Xavier.

"What are you talking about? Nothing's changed."

"Yeah—you two are together now. Everything's different now." Xavier sounded nothing like himself. His eyes would occasionally dart behind Harry, a sense of fear always in them.

Harry had a better mind to know that something else was going on. "How are things different? We're all still friends."

"You have to understand, Harry, "Sebastian said, his eyes doing the same as Xavier's, "being with Tom was our life. He was why we stayed at Hogwarts."

"What do you mean?"

"I was offered a place in the Ministry of Magic. After the results of the O.W.L. I would be allowed to leave Hogwarts, but I declined the offer—for Tom."

"And my parents wanted me to leave Hogwarts and get into the family business, but I said no—for Tom." Xavier eyes fell on the floor and Harry had to tilt his head to meet the blonde's eye. "I think we knew from the beginning that Tom and us could never be. Our rivalry for him never gave us a chance with him. And it was probably for the best."

"Because ever since you two got together Tom's been acting strange." Sebastian looked straight into Harry's eyes; the ones that resembled his mother so much. "He's opened up to you faster than anyone, even us. He likes you Harry, genuinely. The way he looks at you when you're not looking, it makes me jealous, it really does. Tom acknowledges your presence and speaks with you like something more than just an acquaintance. We have almost every class together, but he doesn't sit next to me anymore or speaks to me. He's always talking with Lestrange or Avery and I'm left out." Sebastian's eyes began to water, but he didn't break away from Harry's eyes; he no longer could. "Tom's drifting away from us towards you and Lestrange and Avery and—and…"

"…and we don't know why." Xavier finished for him when he saw that Sebastian was on the verge of tears.

Harry listened to the friends he had almost neglected since Christmas morn. Tom had distracted him from them with their secluded study sessions and romantic isolations. When Harry was with Tom, there was no outside world; only them. When they were together Tom seemed like his usual self: sarcastic, commanding, and warm. There was always a feeling of warmth and protection when Harry was in the wizard's presence. The sensations that arose when Tom walked into the same room as him were unexplainable. So was it those feelings that blinded Harry from the changes Xavier and Sebastian were telling him about? In his eyes, Tom seemed the same, but was he really?

"In all honesty, we're afraid of Tom." Xavier said. "He's even been thinking of changing his name."

Harry's eyes widened, "To what?" he asked.

"He didn't say. He's just been complaining about his own name. We thought he was joking at first, but we're not so sure anymore." Xavier's darted again past Harry and this time saw what he had been cautiously looking for. "We should go now."

"No, don't leave—" Harry wanted to stop them from going, but Tom came from behind him and wrapped his arms around Harry's waist.

"Where are they going?" Tom asked, resting his head on Harry's shoulder.

Xavier and Sebastian walked away with haste and without turning back. Xavier had his arm draped around Sebastian's shoulders, comforting the Australian wizard, forgetting about their old rivalry for Tom's affection. Both of them had lost anyway.

Their words repeated themselves over in Harry's mind; the severity of them growing stronger with each thought. But it was almost hard to think with Tom rubbing his hands all over Harry's body. They found the opening in Harry's Quidditch robes and pried inside to feel the flesh that lay beneath.

"Sh-shouldn't you be studying for the O.W.L.?" The sensations were making it hard for Harry to get words out.

"Shouldn't you be studying for the N.E.W.T.?" said Tom, pushing against Harry's back. They were alone in the changing room; all the other Quidditch players had already gone.

Before he knew it, Harry found himself in a position he never thought would happen in his life: Pressed up against a locker, tasting Tom's lips. Tom's tongue slipped into his mouth exploring the virginity of Harry's lips. He pulled on Harry's Quidditch robes, letting them fall to the floor. Harry's Slytherin sweater followed shortly after, leaving his undershirt to be what separated Tom from the wizard.

Harry pulled off his gloves and threw them against a locker. A chilled wind blew into the changing room, sending a shiver to Harry's clothes-lessening form. He pushed closer to Tom, needing the warmth of the boy's body; the heat radiating from the both of them wasn't enough. His arms wrapped around Tom's neck and them into a tighter kiss.

There was that risky sensation of being caught at any moment by Monsieur Daedalus or a member of the team, but at that moment neither of them cared. What mattered was getting rid of that undershirt.

It was easily discarded and Harry could feel the cold metal of the locker against his skin. The cold sensation went ignored and Harry pressured to get Tom to remove his robes. Tom, however, didn't submit as easily as Harry.

"Don't think just because you can bear the cold it means that I want to." Tom smirked, showing no intention of removing his robes.

Annoyed with Tom's stubbornness, Harry grabbed Tom's shoulders and switched positions with him, pushing the wizard against the metallic locker. He attacked Tom's lips and slipped his hands into Tom's robes. There weren't any objections on Tom's part and Harry was free to see the flawless skin he had only caught a glimpse of when he first arrived in this chaotic time.

But at that instant, a Bludger came flying their way, missing by a hair. Their attention was pulled towards the source of the thrown Bludger. Standing at the entrance of the changing room was Trey, the Slytherin team captain. He was holding another Bludger in his hand and wore an expression that revealed the utmost of jealous anger. His eyes fell on Harry's shirtless body pinning Tom's subdued body against the lockers.

Clutching the Bludger tightly, Trey took a step towards the couple. "What are you doing?!"

Tom didn't show if he was surprised at the intrusion, but Harry felt embarrassed being seen without his robes on. "Sorry, Trey, we didn't mean—"

"I wasn't asking you, Potter." Trey spat out and glared at Tom, "I thought you were mine!"

Tom let out a dry laugh that sent a shiver through Harry, "I don't belong to anyone, especially not to someone as pathetic as you. Honestly, jealousy is so unbefitting on you."

"But Tom," Trey's grip on the Bludger lessened as Tom's words stabbed him, "what about when we…" he let his words linger on without needing to finish his sentence.

Harry recalled hearing Trey's conversation about his being with Tom. At first, Harry had felt the same jealousy Trey was feeling now, but that passed because in the end he was the one who got Tom.

There was a sigh and another dry laugh on Tom's part, "That was just so Harry could be on the team," He put his arm around Harry's waist and held onto him protectively, flaunting the romance that Trey had wanted, "he proved himself to be brilliant and I see no reason for me to continue seeing you or for you to get rid of Harry unless you want Slytherin to lose this year."

Harry watched Tom cast Trey aside as if he was nothing to him. Trey's arm trembled and the Bludger hit the floor. A satisfied smile appeared on Tom's face and he went to pick up the Bludger. He tossed it lightly into the air a few times before grasping it tightly in his hand. "Your jealous act interrupted my special moment with Harry…" he casually dropped the Quidditch ball on Trey's head, making a soft _thud_ as it fell to the floor, "…do it one more time and you'll have something heavier than a Bludger on your head." He turned to Harry, "I'll wait until you're changed."

"Erm…that's alright. You go on ahead—I'll catch up."

Tom shrugged his shoulder and walked off with his hands in his pockets, not passing a second glance at the depressed Trey on the floor.

The Slytherin Beater was kneeling on the floor, gazing at the Bludger that Tom dropped on his head. He didn't say anything or move from his spot. Harry changed into his school robes, trying to ignore the awkwardness of the room. He took his broom and was leaving when Trey decided to come out of his delusion.

"What do you have that I don't?" he asked.

Harry stopped, but didn't look at Trey. The question rang through Harry's mind, seeking an answer. What was it that Tom saw in him? Was it because they were so similar? It would make sense if Tom wanted someone who was just like him, but Harry doubted that that was the reason for Tom's interest in him. Where they had similarities they also had conflicts. They were two completely different people, but at the same time they weren't.

Finally, the only answer Harry could come up with was, "A scar," and he left Trey to mope in the changing room.

-+-+-+-+-+-

Something interesting happened around Valentine's Day.

Tom, Harry, Sebastian, and Xavier were all in their dorm studying for the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. Actually, Sebastian and Xavier were doing the studying. Tom and Harry decided to take a long break and were busy on Tom's bed.

Xavier and Sebastian tried to block them out and were regretting listening to Harry.

Harry wanted things to go back to the way they were before; when Xavier was making crude comments and Sebastian spoke freely. But it was difficult for things to change, more so because Tom didn't seem to notice their presence or absence. Harry often tried to strike up conversations that would make Tom speak with the others, but he would remain silent or distract Harry with a kiss.

Xavier and Sebastian were about to leave when a strange sound broke the silence. They looked around the room for the source, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Tom and Harry didn't hear it, but the second time it sounded they broke from each other's embrace long enough to investigate it.

It sounded like a forest; like grass rustling.

Sebastian then pointed at the aquarium that housed Xavier's Christmas gift to Tom: the snake egg. The group circled around the artificial habitat and saw the soft, white egg shake violently, causing the grass around it to make the noise they all heard.

From what Harry knew about snakes, the shell of an egg was soft, unlike that of a bird. But as the serpent made its way out of the egg there was a distinct cracking of the shell; strange for a snake. Its body stretched out of the egg and slithered among the foliage of the aquarium. It coiled itself and hissed it's tongue, _"Who are you?" _ It asked in Parseltongue, its voice soft yet commanding.

Tom slid his tongue out and answered back, _"Tom Marvolo Riddle."_

"_You speak my tongue," _she said, impressed, _"and him? The boy with the glasses, he seems to understand me." _

Harry looked at Tom and then at the snake, _"I'm Harry Potter."_

"_Are you two kin? It's strange for more than one human to speak my tongue without the same blood running through their veins." _

"That _is_ strange…" Tom inquired, but went no further on the matter.

Sebastian and Xavier watched Tom and Harry with great interest, having never heard them speak Parseltongue with a snake. If only they knew what they were saying.

"_Which one of you is my master?" _

Tom and Harry exchanged glances, _"Me." _ Tom answered.

"_Name me as you see fit." _

Tom thought for a moment, unsure of what to name the serpent before him. She had a unique grace in her movement and words. She hissed her words in a manner that showed that she would not find any other to be superior. There was only one name meant for such a beautiful specimen. _"Nagini." _

"_Nagini…"_ She repeated and closed her eyes, _"…it's unique." _ Nagini slithered around her aquarium, annoyed with the glass that surrounded her. The confined walls revealed a world that she could not reach. _"Release me." _She commanded in a tone that Tom didn't care for.

"_Ask and I'll consider it." _ Nagini gave him a look that didn't make much sense to Xavier or Sebastian, but Harry could tell that she was irritated. Tom sensed it as well and began to move away from the aquarium. _"Fix that attitude of yours or you'll never leave those four glass walls." _

Nagini hissed and glared at Tom, _"Release me—**please**." _

"_That didn't sound very convincing." _

, _"You,"_ Nagini turned her head to Harry_, "release me from this cage." _

Harry said nothing. He couldn't believe that he hadn't seen this coming. The snake egg give to Tom was of course going to become Nagini, what else would it have been? Harry was there to witness the birth of Lord Voldemort's familiar; a snake that would become mammoth and have venom that would keep the Dark Lord alive when he was weak. Harry was actually _speaking_ with her and that shock remained planted in his mind.

Nagini hissed with anger because Harry was ignoring her, so she coiled up and grudgingly fell asleep. Tom also ignored Nagini for the time being and resumed to studying. He quickly got bored and beckoned for Harry, but the wizard was stuck in a reverie and would not go to Tom. Annoyed, Tom pulled out a textbook and began reading.

"Is everything alright, Harry?" Sebastian nudged Harry's shoulder and pulled him out of his thoughts. "I said, are you alright?"

"Yeah—I was just thinking."

"What just happened?" Xavier asked, curious to what they had been saying with the snake creature.

"Her name is…Nagini." Harry repeated it over and over in his mind.

"Nagini? That's a strange name." Sebastian commented.

"Yeah, I would have called it Snakey," said Xavier, earning a small laugh from Harry. "I think it's getting kind of late. I'm going to bed." Xavier got off his knees and said goodnight to Sebastian and Xavier. As he walked passed Tom, Xavier said goodnight but only got a nod from the wizard; it was better than nothing. Sighing he tucked himself away under the covers and fell asleep.

Sebastian followed shortly, getting less of a response from Tom, and falling asleep.

Harry was left alone with Nagini who looked Harry's way before resting her head on her body. _"What do you want?" _she asked suspiciously, _"Decided to release me?"_

"_No,"_ Harry said simply, _"I decided to keep you locked away…forever."_

Nagini cocked her head to the side. She made a face that could barely be called a smile and stuck out her tongue, _"You won't be able to keep me here forever. Tom will need me one day. My venom is precious and valuable. Why you would want to hold me captive is incomprehensible to me. Parselmouths must remain loyal to the serpent creatures they speak to. I'm sure even Tom is aware of this fact. But you—you have harmed one of my kind before. I can sense it. I fear what you may do me, but I will not die by your hands. Tom will not allow it."_

"_Where did you come from?" _ asked Harry, surprised by the snake's knowledge.

"_The hands that cradled me in my egg were ones that held immense power. So strong was their power that I'm sure some of their magic must have leaked into my shell. The knowledge I have gained is more of an instinct that I know I must follow one day—for Tom." _

Harry covered the aquarium with a lid so Nagini couldn't escape. He shot her a stare that said you-know-too-much and headed off to bed.

Tom was fast asleep on the floor, his textbook open on his chest. Harry removed the book and pulled a blanket from his bed. Sitting beside Tom, Harry wrapped them both in the blanket; the heat emanating from their bodies being caught in their cocoon. Tom's head fell on Harry's shoulder, sleeping sweetly.

Despite the warmth, Harry shivered. Nagini was glaring at him through the glass, her gaze not faltering. Harry averted his eyes to Tom's sleeping form, but he could still feel the piercing eyes of Nagini.

* * *

Oh my gosh, I can't believe that I have over 300 reviews! I don't think that has ever happened to me! Wow, I can barely believe it now ::tear:: And it's all thanks to you guys, seriuosly! Without you, I wouldn't really be much of a writer. I feel like crying now. WAAAH! This chapter was brought to you guys exactly seven days ago, I worked extra hard to get it out because it's worth it to not do homework for you guys. I'm going to go now before I make a speech ::cries:: WAAAH! 


	12. Harry's Pensieve

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 11 – Harry's Pensieve_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter.

**Warning: **Nothing much in this chapter so nothing to be worried about…unless you fear foreshadowing.

**Author's Note: **Okay, because many people have asked me, I have decided to write a chapter solely based on the enigmatic character of Tom Riddle. It's not in the first-person point of view, but it still is in Tom's point of view…understand? I'm not sure what that's called, but there should be a term for it… oh well! Well it's like that for half the chapter before going back to Harry mode. Please review once you're finished reading please.

* * *

There were shattered shards of glass lying on the floor with Harry's horrified face reflecting upon them. A foot stomped on the glass, crushing it into powder. A massive hourglass with black sand fought against the laws of gravity, the beads of sand moving up. Unlike any other hourglasses, this one foretold death. It was an hourglass of the Fates, but the hourglass to which it belonged seemed to be defying death. Their sands of time that would normally end once they all reached the bottom were regathering at the top. Whoever this hourglass belonged too; they were being given more time and more life. The inscription was faded; the letters, illegible.

Tom walked passed the hourglass, stepping on more shards of glass, to the drawer where he had found the Remembrall. He removed the quill that wrote without ink and tucked it away in his robe; a keepsake. After months of trying to get into the room that had only appeared once before, Tom thought that he deserved something for his efforts. It had taken awhile for Tom to notice a pattern.

Just moments before, when he was trying to open the Room of Requirement, a lost first-year Slytherin wandered near the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. They were bending their knees, looking extremely anxious. Without looking at Tom he walked to one side of the hall. His head turned from side to side, unable to find what he was looking for, and he checked back on the other side of the hall. Again he looked, but didn't find it. A third time he walked passed Tom to see if he had missed what he needed.

Suddenly, as the Slytherin power-walked in front of Tom, he noticed a door that he wasn't sure had been there before. His stomach clenched and he no longer cared where it had come from and ran into the door.

This was the chance Tom had been looking for. Following the first-year, Slytherin, Tom entered the door with calm excitement.

But there had to have been some mistake. Maybe he entered the wrong room, he thought because this wasn't the place where he and Harry had visited before. It looked just like the boy's bathroom.

Tom heard a flush and the Slytherin boy came out of stall while zipping up his pants. He made over to the sink and washed his hands before leaving in a rush. Suddenly angered because of his stupidity for entering the wrong room, Tom pushed the doors open and left. Barnabas the Barmy met his eyes, hanging idly on the wall. That meant that this had to be the right place. Tom spun around, but the door had vanished.

Three times—the boy had walked back and forth three times. He had obviously been looking for a restroom; he _needed _it. Tom paused in mid-step, astonished by his brilliance. He paced around the vacant wall, thinking to himself _I need to know about Harry's past…I need to know…_

Before he realized it a door stood solid in front of him. Tom almost couldn't believe that it had worked. His heart pounded roughly against his chest as he turned the knob.

And that's how he returned to this room of mysterious artifacts that had addled his mind for several nights.

Tom found more mammoth sized hourglasses, each holding a different color of sand. One was a dark shade of lavender and the other was as green as the Slytherin colors. All of them were goin backwards in their glass, defying Death like the black-sanded hourglass. Their inscriptions were also scratched out and incomprehensible. Ignoring them for the time being, Tom went to the reason why he had wanted to come here in the first place.

The strange device that held swirling streams of silver. There were strange signs written on the sides that made no sense to Tom.

Peering inside, the silver strands twirled around with one another, dancing for the amusement of the onlooker. Tom leaned in closer and already he could hear voices. This was the moment he had been waiting for. Tom plunged into the Pensieve and entered the first memory of Harry James Potter.

-+-+-+-+-+-

Everything seemed familiar; the floors, the ceiling, even the smell that suddenly surrounded Tom. He knew he recognized it all, but from where? Actually…where was he?

Just then, Harry walked into the room with two people at his side. There was a tall, lanky boy with wild red hair. He was saying something about Dungbombs that got made Harry laugh. The girl on Harry's left was one he had seen before the last time Tom had looked into the Pensieve. She rolled her eyes at the red-headed boy as they walked up to the portrait of a fat lady.

"Password." She asked in a high voice.

"Hippogriff," said Harry and the Fat Lady's portrait swung open.

So far, neither of them seemed to have noticed the presence of Tom; that annoyed him. "Hey, Harry!" He called, but his boyfriend continued to chat with his two friends. "Harry!" He called out again, getting the same results.

The three of them walked into the hole the Fat Lady revealed and Tom followed with infuriation. As soon as they got inside, he went to grab Harry by the shoulders only for his hand to go right through him! Tom pulled his hand away, taken aback. _What the…?_

He pulled out his wand and tried using a Trip Jinx.

"OUCH!" Harry cried out as he fell over. A flood of relief washed through Tom; he still had his magic, he wasn't powerless in this strange world. "Ron, tell Fred and George to stop leaving their stuff lying around." Harry picked up what looked like a broomstick, but it shrunk in Harry's hand and began to sweep at his head.

Tom's world shattered. He hadn't caused Harry to trip…? It was…coincidence?

"Interested in our Buzzing Broomsticks?" A boy with similar characteristics as Harry's friend appeared with another boy that looked exactly like him. "Think we should give them a discount, Fred?"

"I'm not sure," The other boy pretended to think about it, "Well, since you're family, we'll give you the astounding price of four Sickles and a Knut."

"How much were they before?"

"Four Sickles," said Fred, smirking and smacking the red-head on the back. "Just kidding, Ronny. But seriously, you break it you bought it."

"Haven't quite got the bugs out of it though," said George, pulling the miniature broom out of Harry's hair. "They keep shrinking for some reason…"

Tom looked at the twins, then at Harry's companions, and then at Harry. No one has yet to notice him. Tom hated that.

Fred and George saw their friend Lee and ran over to him, tossing the Buzzing Broom at him so that it attacked him.

Tom looked around the room. There were other people in there of different ages. They were all wearing red and gold colors—Gryffindor colors. Tom scowled at them even they couldn't see or hear him. Wait…he was in Hogwarts? Tom looked around and saw that it was unmistakingly his school. Harry said he had come from another school…

"Fifth year is killing us." Ron sunk into a chair and let his body slide down. "How can you survive, Hermione?"

Fifth year?! Harry was in his fifth year at Hogwarts? How could have Tom never seen him before?

"Oh—I don't know—maybe it's because I do my homework on time and pay attention in class?" The bushy haired girl said sarcastically and unrolled a long piece of parchment. "Speaking of which," she dipped her quill into an ink bottle and began writing feverishly, "have you two started Snape's essay on the Tempus Inconcessus, yet?"

As expected the two of them shook their heads. "Wuzzat?" said Ron, halfway through a yawn. He was obviously not very interested in the subject. Harry looked just as bored.

She began explaining to them in great detail what Professor Snape had told them. Tom took that time to explore around the Gryffindor room he wasn't allowed into. It looked rather ordinary for a Hogwart's room, nothing compared to the Slytherin dormitories. There were comfortable chairs that were occupied by other Gryffindors (Tom shuddered because there were so many of them in one place) and a fire cackled and filled the room with warmth.

Tom took the time to think things over; to try and understand where he was. Already he had concluded that this was Harry's memory; he had figured that much out. What Tom couldn't figure out was how Harry hadn't existed until at the start of the school year, despite him being here now in his fifth year. What confused Tom even more was how Harry was lounging in the Gryffindor House and no one seemed to care that he was in fact a Slytherin.

But the red and gold scarf around Harry's neck told otherwise.

Tom just couldn't understand. A person never switched from their assigned House, not that Tom has ever heard of. The House the Sorting Hat placed them into was where they belonged, so there wasn't to be any disapproval on the student's part. Then how could Harry have gone from being a Gryffindor to a Slytherin?

"…basically, it lets a person travel back in time…" Tom snapped his head in the direction of Hermione, his attention caught. "…but you're supposed to have some sort of intention that you must follow. I'm not really sure what kind of intention you're supposed to have, but after you've made one you _have_ to stay true to it."

"Uh huh…" said Ron and Harry, dully, beginning to set a board for Wizard's Chess.

"So far, when a person uses the Tempus Inconcessus, they get trapped in that time period. That's why hardly any wizards ever use it."

"I can't believe it!" shouted Ron.

"Amazing isn't it?" Hermione beamed at him.

"Huh?" Ron looked at her, bewildered but what she meant. "I was talking about Harry getting me into check, but…" his Rook moved across the board and demolished Harry's queen, "Checkmate, mate."

Hermione through her hands up in defeat, "You two are impossible!" She put her books away in her bag and made way to the girls' dormitories, "I'm going to bed early. Goodnight."

"'Night." They both said and began setting up another game of Wizard's chess.

The scene began to fade and drift father away. Harry's leaving figure disappeared into the shadows and the Room of Requirement became clear once again around Tom. The Pensieve was in front of Tom, casting a light glow on his pale face.

_The Tempus Inconcessus: a potion that can make a person travel back in time. _Tom thought and looked around the room. The hourglass with the black sand now made perfect sense to him. It was Harry's sand, going against Death.

Harry had performed the Tempus Inconcessus…he had gone back in time…his sand wasn't flowing in the right direction because he was given more time. That's why Harry had appeared out of thin air, why he knew the things he did. Harry was from the future…he didn't belong here…Tom had been lied to…

The black sand-filled hourglass shattered. Tom's wand was raised and pointing at it, his eyes blazing with new fury. If there was something that Tom hated most in the world it was being made to look like a fool. How long did Harry think he could keep this charade? Was everything a lie? Even Harry's infatuations?

For a brief moment, Tom's mind went blank and he lost all control of his senses. The painful deception was just too much to handle at the moment.

Dark spells shot out of his wand, shattering glass, exploding desks, and setting fire to everything else. Harry's black sand poured out of its hourglass, covering the floor with its darkness only to be lit aflame by Tom's wand. Tom aided the growing fire by spitting out flames from the tip of his wand, burning down the wardrobe that held the futuristic clothes.

Light filled the room; a menacing light. Tom could see the portraits hanging on the wall, immobile. There were many of them, only a few were recognizable in the burning brightness. One was of Hogwart's Headmaster, Armando Dippet—the other was the Transfigurations teacher Tom loathed with a passion, Albus Dumbledore.

Tom set fire to Dumbledore's portrait first before doing the same to the rest. He didn't know the other wizards who decorated the walls nor did he care about them. Tom just wanted everything to burn.

Once everything scorched before him, Tom extinguished the flames with his wand, relishing the ashes that covered the room. As the fire ceased, it left behind a room of smoldering ash. Tom's brow deepened, unsatisfied.

He heard a voice; Harry's voice. Tom turned back at the glowing Pensieve. One of the silver strands swirled quicker than the others, circling around the center. It spun faster and faster, creating an image that became clearer the longer Tom gazed at it.

Tom saw Harry inside the Pensieve. Grodric Gryffindor's sword was in Harry's hand, swinging fiercely at a massive Basilisk. Again, Tom heard the giant serpent curse Harry's name, screeching out, unable to find Harry's because of its blindness. It bore its massive fangs and sunk them deep into Harry's arm.

Tom's hands gripped tightly on the side of the Pensieve, suddenly feeling anxious.

Harry let out a loud scream as the venom sank its way into his bloodstream, slowly killing him from the inside. The Basilisk let out a hiss of triumph, but found its hiss to be silent. At that last possible moment, Harry had sunk the Grodric's relic into the depths of the Basilisk's mouth.

There was a cry that Tom was sure Harry understood and the Basilisk collapsed, dead.

Tom's knuckles were turning white against the stone basin. He instinctively moved closer to the memory, desperately wanting to know what was going to happen next.

There was a book on the floor, its pages as barren as the one Sebastian gave Tom for Christmas. Harry pulled out the deadly fang from his arm, squinting in pain as he did so. With his strength depleted, it was an effort for Harry to reach the diary. But when he did reach it, he used the Basilisk's fang and forced it onto the diary. Dark ink spilled out of the pages like blood. A hole was burning through the center of the diary, unable to handle the venom of the Basilisk.

Tom didn't understand what was happening as he watched. The diary was his; Sebastian had given it to him. Yet, there it was in Harry's memories, burning into oblivion.

The Pensieve rippled and the scene began to fade away. Harry's panting figure grew further away and collapsed before the streaming strands of silver took its place. _That can't be all!_ Tom prodded the contents with his wand.

One of the strands spread and revealed another memory.

Harry was in the second floor, girl's bathroom. He was staring curiously at one of the taps of the sink. There was a small snake carved into it. Unsure of what compelled him to do so, Harry said in clear Parseltongue, _"Open up."_

The sink sank into the floor and a large pipe appeared in its stead. Cautiously, Harry entered the pipe and slid into darkness.

This memory was shorter than the others, lasting less than a minute but revealing more than any of the ones prior. Tom stared at the stone basin, not paying attention at the memories that swam in it. He was still taking in what he had just seen.

A maniacal grin spread on his face followed by a terrifying laugh, "I've finally found it."

-+-+-+-+-+-

Harry was worried. He couldn't find Tom anywhere; He wasn't in their room, the Common Room, or at the Grand Hall. Xavier and Sebastian said that they hadn't seen him for the last couple of hours. Harry had been at Quidditch practice and was hoping to be with Tom, but he was no where to be found.

Harry took out Xavier's crystal ball and called out Tom's name. Nothing happened. He called it again, but his reflection continued to stare back at him. Harry called Sebastian's name to see if it worked and the Australian's image came out clear. Sebastian was with Xavier in the Common Room, going over Veritaserum for the O.W.L.

Sebastian's image vanished and Harry could see his reflection once more. Why couldn't he find Tom? Xavier had said that the crystal ball would allow him to see anyone no matter where they were. Harry couldn't understand why it neglected to show him where Tom was though.

Hogwarts was like a labyrinth. It would take too long to search for Tom without a general idea of where he might be. Harry now wished that he had brought the Marauder's Map with him; it was more accurate than an ancient crystal ball. Sighing, Harry went downstairs and met with Xavier and Sebastian. Since Tom wasn't here, he might as well _try _and study for the N.E.W.T.s.

"Still no luck, eh?" Sebastian said as Harry pulled a chair at their table. He had _100 Facts About Veritaserum_ opened in front of him with notes in his handwriting scribbled along the sides.

"No," Harry took a glance at Xavier's blank page of notes, "Nagini's not even sure where he is."

Xavier wrote something on his parchment and then scratched it out, "I don't see how she would. Tom hasn't let her out of that aquarium since she was hatched." He dipped his quill in a bottle of ink and began to write again only to scratch it out.

"What are you doing?" Harry finally asked.

"Hm? Oh—I'm trying to think of what I might do after Hogwarts."

"I thought you were going into the family business?" said Harry.

"I _was_—but when I said 'no' to my parents they promised my brother that he would take over."

"Brother?" Harry asked, surprised. "I didn't know you had a younger brother."

Xavier seemed distracted, crossing out various careers he had written down, "Huh? Oh yeah. He's starting Hogwarts when I leave. His name's Abraxas; supposed to be the new face of the Malfoy family." Xavier lowered his quill, "It was going to be me…but I'm kind of out of the family now." He tried to smile but it came out forced and fake.

Harry recalled a family tree in Grimmauld Place that had the faces of some of the members burned from it; members who weren't considered a part of the family anymore. He whispered to himself, "So he isn't Draco's grandfather…or Lucius' father."

"Lucius? No, that's my father. And I'm pretty sure that I'm not a father. Why? Did a Ravenclaw tell you so? 'Cause it's not true!" Xavier lost his composure or a second but quickly regained it. "Ahem—now what sounds better: Minister of Magic or Unspeakable?" he asked, changing the subject away from his family.

"Minister of Magic is too much work," inquired Sebastian, momentarily looking away from his book, "I say go for Unspeakable."

"What d'you think, Harry?"

"Yeah, Unspeakable sounds great."

"Then it's settled…now to find out what that is…" Xavier got up from their table, "I'll be at the library if you need me."

Harry didn't even notice Xavier leave. He was still thinking about how his family had exiled him like that. It was typical of the Malfoy pure-bloods and that was probably why Xavier was kicked out. He was different than them. Not once did Harry ever hear him belittle half-bloods or Muggle-borns. Malfoy had asked him if he had been a pure-blood when they first met. Harry instinctively said 'yes' to avoid an trouble, but now thinking back, he doubted that Xavier would have cared either way.

Xavier thought nothing like the Malfoy family. He was better than them, so it pained Harry to hear that they had outcast their eldest son, just because he didn't follow orders like some puppet.

"You know," said Sebastian, "Xavier doesn't regret his family abandoning him. At least now he'll be able to follow his ambitions and dreams. Even though at first he stayed to be with Tom, now he just wants to do what he wants. My family is very good friends with Xavier's. They're nasty people though, the Malfoys. Always putting down the wizards who aren't pure-blood. It's pitiful that they have to put others down in order to feel superior. Xavier realized sooner that their ways were wrong. That being a pureblood didn't make you better than everyone else. In fact, Xavier said that it made you weaker.

"His family had always given him everything on a golden platter. They never let him experience anything on its own. It protected him from the real world that existed beyond the pure-bloods. That's why Xavier wasn't prepared when he fell in love with Tom…or you."

Harry was listening intently. They seemed to be the only two people in the Common Room at that moment.

"Xavier's family never taught him anything besides etiquette, respect, and superiority over others. They never taught him about friendship, compassion, or love. Xavier experienced all of those on his own, but didn't know how to react to them. That's how he can fall in love so easily. It's because he never learned how not to."

"And you?" Harry stared into Sebastian's reminiscing eyes, "How did you fall in love with Tom?"

"Simple," said Sebastian, getting up and starting to walk out of the room, "I feared him."

The brick wall closed behind Sebastian, leaving Harry alone in the Common Room. The fire that warmed the room blew out, damping the place in shadows.

Harry had thought he finally understood Tom. But now he was more mysterious than before. Xavier and Sebastian—both still loved Tom, but they stood by and watched as Harry took him away from them. How could they just do that? Was Harry a worthier candidate for Tom's affections? Harry didn't think so. But he still couldn't understand why Tom had chosen him out of the three.

He remembered Trey asking him the same thing.

_My scar…_

That's what Harry had said was the reason. It was the sign of Voldemort marking him as his equal. They were equals. That's why Tom had chosen him.

The brick wall leading to the Slytherin Dorms split open and Tom stepped through it. Harry was about to jump out of his seat to ask him where he had been all day, but common sense kept him glued to his seat.

Tom looked happy. But upon seeing Harry, the feeling of deceit overwhelmed the one of jubilance. Harry saw it in his eye; a look of outrage. But it disappeared incredibly fast, making Harry believe that he had imagined it.

"Sorry for disappearing on you. Dumbledore made me do lines." Tom said simply. Harry knew he was lying.

They settled on a couch and Tom rekindled the fire. They sat in each other's embrace, dwelling in the flames. Tom was exhausted, but when Harry nipped slightly at his neck, he felt renewed with new energy. Harry kissed him softly, sucking the frustration out of him. Tom's eyes closed shutting out all feelings except for the ones Harry was inducing upon him. As they kissed, Tom released his anger, unable to retain it in the heat of their passion.

The fact that Tom was still being lied to escaped him. Harry put one leg over Tom and sat on his lap, making himself more comfortable. He could feel Tom's arousal beneath his robes and he continued to chaste him with kisses. Tom's mind went blank and he heard himself groan under his breath. He had no idea how Harry was making him feel this way; how he was fuming with anger one second and filled with zeal the next.

The events that occurred in the Room of Requirement were forgotten at the moment. Tom didn't want to think about them. It didn't matter of Harry was lying to him, at least he got something good out of it: The location of the Chamber of Secrets.

* * *

So what did we learn today? Let's see: Tom knows more about Harry, Harry knows more about Xavier, and Xavier isn't Draco's grandfather. Nope, that would go against Canon stuff and I can't do that because that's wrong! I might do it a little from time to time I think…but that's because it's so hard to keep track of what's real and what's fiction ( especially with all the fanfiction I read). Now, I want to thank everyone who's reviewed because I love reviews (more than Bob!) and anyone who has PMed me and given me wonderful advice. Only reason why I wrote this chapter in Tom's POV (Sorta) was because you guys asked me too. If you guys want something, then ask, and I'll work my hardest to make it happen. So review and I'll be motivated and the next chapter will come out quicker and better. Adios! 


	13. Ron Forgotten

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 12 – Ron Forgotten_

**Disclaimer: **I saw the funniest thing in the world called "Potter Puppet Pals" on youtube which was freaking hilarious! I recommend watching it. Oh, and by the way, I don't own it…or the Harry Potter series.

**Warning:** This chapter contains some Harry and Tom…for now…tee hee tee hee…

**Author's Note: **The reviews are awesome! Seriously, they are! I just finished reading the sixth book for the second time and I cried again because it was so sad! But as I finished reading it, I was inspired more than I had ever been before. I have so many ideas floating around in my head right now that I feel like it's going to explode. But that could also be due to the fact that I had finals all week, SAT prep courses, volunteering at the hospital, and cram rehearsals with this guy at school who wants to get into UCLA. God, I hate Junior year.

* * *

Nagini slithered within her aquarium, hissing furiously at her reflection against the glass. She admired her own beauty, loving how the sunlight intensified as it was refracted against her sleek skin. For two months she had been imprisoned without release. Two months! She couldn't believe how cruel Tom was being, but somewhat liked his insensitivity. Past her reflection she could see the blond wizard standing before a row of pillows. One by one, he transfigured each pillow into various items before transfiguring them back. To Nagini's surpise, he was actually quite good.

The boy with the strange accent was charming different objects in the room to do things that Nagini found quite useless, yet the boy was doing it with such ease that she couldn't help but be a little impressed with his magic. The boy sighed and walked over to the blond boy, twirling his wand between his fingers.

"Xavier," he called, "I think Joe Blake is watching us."

"Who's Joe Blake?" Xavier raised an incredulous brow, having no idea what Sebastian was talking about.

Sighing, Sebastian tried to put it in terms that even Xavier could understand, "What rhymes with Blake? Think it, don't say it," he quickly warned.

Nagini watched the blond boy ponder; she didn't understand the Australian herself.

"Rake…bake…make…mistake…sn—"

"—shut it, nong!" Sebastian cut Xavier off and pulled him into the corner. He then leaned over as if to kiss the blond.

Nagini watched them with her cat-like eyes, thinking that they were going to partake in activities that she would often see her master and the boy with the scar do. Her prediction proved to be true and the two were locking lips in secrecy. And to think, she thought, that they had almost realized that she was watching them. Yet that blond boy didn't seem to be enjoying it very much.

"What the hell—"

"—I said shut it!" Sebastian whispered harshly, "She'll hear you!"

"Who?" Xavier demanded.

"Nagini, you bloke!" Sebastian then hushed Xavier by kissing him again. He broke momentarily and quickly said, "Kiss me back or I'll make your nuggets grow to the size of your head!"

Without another word, Xavier pulled Sebastian into a binding of lips. Only he didn't fancy the bottom position and flipped Sebastian over. His blond locks fell over their faces as they deepened their kiss.

Nagini watched the two kiss through her serpentine eyes, soon growing bored with the scene. She hissed and coiled into herself. The warm sunlight basked her in heat and she soon became heavy with fatigue. Her eyes closed and her body went limp; she was asleep.

Sebastian peeked out of one eye and saw the serpent sleeping soundly. After noticing that, he pushed Xavier off and straightened his robes. He got onto his bed, pulled out a book, and began to read.

"What the hell's your problem, Chaud?!" Xavier had his hands balled up into fists. "You kiss me for no reason and then read a damn book?!"

"Belt up, will ya! You're going to wake her!" Sebastian shouted as loud as Xavier, not really helping. He saw Nagini shift in her sleep and he pulled Xavier onto his bed. "Now don't move," he whispered, "pretend like we're studying."

"Not until you bloody tell me why!"

Sebastian kept an eye on Nagini as he spoke, "That snake of Tom's—she's been watching us."

"So?"

"She's been reporting to Tom, telling him what we've been doing when he's not around," his voice lowered so much that it was almost inaudible, "Nagini is spying on us."

"What?!" Xavier said loudly.

Having had enough of Xavier's outbursts, Sebastian took out his wand and quickly cast a Silencing Charm on the blond. Xavier tried to object to the spell but couldn't make a sound. His mouth opened as wide as it could, but no yell came out. Crossing his arms, he stared at Sebastian, waiting for him to finish speaking.

"As I was saying, Tom is in the Common Room right now, so he leaves Nagini to watch over us—no matter how much you try, you're not going to speak!" Sebastian used a Sticking Charm to hold Xavier's mouth together; his attempts at speaking were getting annoying. "Tom is planning something big, but I haven't been able to figure out what it is. He's recently been hanging out with Lestrange an Avery in the Common Room a lot more. They're discussing plans, and Tom is making sure that we don't find out what they are. He's even gone as far magically sealing the door to keep us in here—yes, really. You should try to getting out more.

Tom is down there right now, most likely with those two bastards." Sebastian cringed at just the thought of them.

Xavier took out his wand and wrote in the air with light flames, "How do you know all this?"

"Even since Tom began going out with Harry, he's been changing, right?" Xavier nodded. "And I've wanted to know why, so I charmed the 'Lost Trust' to keep an eye on him."

Sebastian waved his wand and a cherubic child fluttered into sight from behind a cloud. With its miniature wings, it flew around in circles, spinning faster until the mural became a blur. In the midst of the blur, an image appeared. Xavier watched in awe as the 'Lost Trust' replayed past events that had occurred in their room.

They couldn't hear anything, but both could tell what was going on.

There was an image of Tom with Harry, first attempting to studying, but both giving up and using their lips as an excuse to do something else. There were many moments like that, and Sebastian had to wave his wand in a circle to make the scene shift more forward until Harry left the room. Soon after, Tom flicked his wand and Garnet Lestrange and Avery walked creepily into the room. They glanced around the room, making sure that Tom was the only person there before kneeling in front of him. Tom smiled smugly and began to speak. Avery and Lestrange were listening intently, taking in every word Tom was saying.

"I still don't know what Tom's planning, but it can't be good." Sebastian waved his wand and the 'Lost Trust' returned to its angelic state. He lifted the charm off of Xavier who grabbed his jaw bitterly.

"You could have just told me to be quiet…" he said while stretching out his mouth. "Does Harry know?"

Sebastian shook his head, "Tom's been meeting with Lestrange and Avery during classes and when Harry's at Quidditch practices."

"In our room?!" Xavier said bitterly. "And I thought girls weren't allowed in the boy's rooms," he said, referring to Lestrange.

"No, _boys_ aren't allowed in the girl's rooms," corrected Sebastian. "The founders had more trust in girls than in boys."

Xavier crossed his arms, "I still say it's unfair. Their stairs keep turning into a slide and I can't get up there."

Sebastian rolled his eyes and tried to relax on his bed. It was hard with Xavier taking up most of it. "Should we warn Harry?"

"No…" Xavier said firmly, "if Tom doesn't want him to know, then he shouldn't know."

"Your love for Tom overpowers the one for Harry." Sebastian smiled meekly, "This would be easier if we could hate him."

"But we can't." Xavier sighed and fell beside Sebastian, not noticing that both were near falling off the edge of the bed, "Tom's perfect. There's nothing to hate."

Both closed their eyes, thinking about Tom and of all the characteristics that had attracted them to him: his beauty, his power, his intelligence…his thirst for control. No matter how hard they tried, neither could find a fault in the boy they had loved since sight. The day Tom becomes imperfect will be the day they can't bear to look at him. And both knew that day was coming soon.

As they reminisced about Tom, Nagini opened an eye and hissed quietly to herself. Tom would be pleased with her.

-+-+-+-+-+-

"Harry, pay attention!"

Harry was floating in the air on his broom, barely realizing that Quidditch practice was going on around him. Bludgers were flying around; the Quaffle zipped past him and was caught by the Keeper. The Snitch had been released a half an hour ago and it was Harry's duty to catch it. But it was almost impossible to even stay afloat.

Harry's scar was prickling, something it hadn't done in awhile. He moved a bit in the air and the prickling turned into a piercing surge of pain. He held in a cry and none of the other players seemed to notice. Opening his eyes, the players and balls looked like distorted blurs. Harry saw the warped shape of the Snitch flutter in front of him, teasingly, before flying out of reach. Harry didn't even try to catch it. He had been stuck in that position since the game started, unable to move because of the pain that followed.

Every time Harry tried moving, his scar would burst with unimaginable pain and his head felt like it was going to implode, but he kept a straight face. The last thing Harry wanted was for people to worry; he had gotten too many people worrying about him back in his time. He never liked the attention he got for crying out in pain. Harry was going to deal with it his own way, so he slowly let his broom descend. He kept his eyes closed, able to hear to the _whoosh _of the players flying by. It wasn't until he felt the grassy ground that he opened his eyes and thought it safe to move.

Upon dismounting his broom, Harry's scar seared with an agony so torturous that he could no longer hold in the screams. Every Quidditch player turned in his direction and sped towards him on his broom. Harry was kneeling on the floor, clutching his hair tightly, wanting the suffering to end.

_Still unable to handle the pain, Harry? I would have thought you'd be used to it by now. Tsk tsk, how you've become weak. _

Harry pulled at his hair, trying to silence the snake-like voice.

_I know why you've been sent here. But you won't be able to change the future by changing my younger self. On the contrary; you're making Tom Riddle become the person I am today. _

"Shut up!"

_You're pushing him towards the path of evil and you didn't even need my help to do it._

"Shut up!!"

_But it's almost time, Harry. Soon, all the filthy Muggles will be gone. _

"SHUT UP!"

Harry yelled at the top of his lungs and collapsed onto the field. His scar still ached with a flaming rage, but it was nothing compared to hearing Voldemort's voice in his mind.

He didn't dare open his eyes because if he did he knew that there would be scared eyes staring back at him. They would be looking at him as if he was some madman. Harry couldn't handle that.

Thankfully, Harry didn't have to keep his eyes closed for long because the world inside his mind began to spin and fade into oblivion.

When he awoke, Harry was back in the Hospital Wing with Nurse Sedo dabbing his forehead with a wet cloth. She removed it carefully and placed the tip of her wand against Harry's scar. Harry felt that same cold sensation had when Sedo had placed it upon him the night he fell unconscious in a hallway. And like before, Harry felt the burning cease immediately and was filled with relief.

"We really should stop meeting like this." Sedo chuckled to herself and wiped the liquid from Harry's forehead with the cloth. Harry flinched as her fingers passed over his skin, making her pull back in surprise. "You're awake I see." She returned to patting his forehead, "So what was it this time? Headache? Most students feel a bit sick because of N.E.W.T.s and all."

Harry didn't say anything. He felt that if he did, Voldemort's voice would return.

"But I don't think it's that way with you, Harry. I think I may know what's going on." Sedo sighed and folded her hands in her lap. Harry almost objected to her stopping the soothing of his scar. "It must be the Tempus Inconcessus."

Harry turned his head slightly, now able to see Sedo's depressed features. Her long brown hair fell past her eyes and Harry could see her hand wringing her wrist. Her lips were curled into a tight frown and it sounded like she was having difficulty speaking with Harry.

"When you performed the forbidden spell…what was your intention?"

Harry opened his mouth to speak, his voice sounding hoarse and raspy, "I wanted to save my best friend."

"What were your thoughts exactly?" She still wasn't looking at him; her eyes were fixed on the foot of his bed.

Harry tried to recall the images and thoughts he had had when casting the spell, but his mind drew a blank. Shaking his head, Harry replied, "I don't remember."

It was then thatSedo jumped from her seat and clutched the bed sheets, nearly pulling them off of Harry, "You must remember! If you don't…" She stopped herself in mid-sentence and quickly released her hold on Harry's bedsheets. "I'm sorry," she stood up, "I shouldn't say any more." Using a hairclip, Sedo held her hair away from her eyes and tried to smile at Harry for the first time, failing to make Harry smile in return. "You're well enough to return to your room. Good day, Harry." She walked off and turned the corner so Harry couldn't see her anymore.

Although Nurse Sedo had told Harry it was okay to leave, he made no attempt to go. He was still recollecting himself from Sedo's strange reaction. For a moment, she had lost the perfect composure that reassured all her patients they were going to be fine. When she couldn't even meet his eyes, Harry no longer felt safe. Something was wrong and Sedo refused to tell him what it was.

He looked down at where Sedo has clutched the covers; they were still wrinkled and bore the imprint of her hands. Straightening them, he fell on his back and rested his head into the pillow's embrace. His eyes stared at the empty ceiling above, but his mind didn't really acknowledge it.

The voice in his mind—Voldemort's voice—had said that Harry was the one causing Tom to turn against his friends; that it was his fault Tom would become the Dark Lord. That couldn't be true…could it? Harry had seen in Dumbledore's Pensieve the road which Tom followed to become the Dark Lord, and Harry wasn't in it. Tom turned out the way he did because he was ruthless and only wanted to use his power to rid himself of "those not worthy to use magic."

But Tom wasn't like that…at least not from what Harry could tell. They had only been focusing on school the last few months and not once had Tom ever mentioned any insidious plans to rid the world of Muggle-borns. Surely he would confide in Harry, right?

Then again, Xavier and Sebastian did say that he was thinking of changing his name. Harry knew that Tom hated having the name of a Muggle and that he never could forgive his mother for that. Maybe he just wanted to change it to something more to his liking. _Like Voldemort_ thought Harry. He didn't want to believe it, but Tom truly was moving onto the path of the Dark Lord.

No, Harry couldn't believe it. He just couldn't bring himself to say it was true. Tom was sincerely his friend (and more). Dumbledore had told him that Tom had never really had a true friend or even wanted one, but Harry felt that he had broken through that barrier Tom had strongly held. Xavier and Sebastian may not have been able to pass Tom's impenetrable shield, but Harry felt accomplished that Tom allowed him to be beside him. Tom seldom let people into his life, and Harry was one of the few that he genuinely liked.

Tom trusted Harry, and Harry didn't feel like betraying that trust. If it would help Tom remain on the side of good, Harry didn't want to do anything to aid Tom in his conversion.

Harry threw the covers off of himself and jumped out of bed. He quickly ran out of the Hospital Wing straight to his room.

He spoke the password to the brick wall and it opened itself to Harry. Tom was in the Common Room with Lestrange and Avery, speaking in inaudible whispers. When they noticed Harry come in, they ceased speaking and went to their rooms. Tom stuffed something into his bag and gave Harry his devoted attention.

"What were you doing with them?" Harry asked.

Tom replied coolly, "They just needed help with potions."

"Where are Xavier and Sebastian?"

"Dunno." Tom said dully and took out his copy of _Perfecting Potions_ and began reading. His eyes darted back and forth, making it obvious to Harry that he was reading and didn't really want to be disturbed. Sighing, Harry muttered a goodnight and went off to his room.

Right when Harry turned the knob to his room, a blond blur swept passed him and fell to the floor.

"FREEDOM!" cried out Xavier, kissing the floor behind Harry's feet. Sebastian came up to Harry, shaking his head in shame at Xavier.

"What is he doing?" asked Harry, stepping as far away as he could from the delusional blond.

Sebastian debated whether or not to tell Harry that Tom had locked them in there. "He's just being his normal self." He had decided to lie.

"Makes sense," said Harry, walking in and tossing his bag on his bed. Sebastian waved his wand, pulling Xavier back into the room. Xavier tried to hang on to the carpeted floor with his nails but was overcome by Sebastian's spell.

Nagini hissed as Harry looked in her direction, but didn't say anything. She scowled at him before burying her head into her body.

"Were Lestrange and Avery down there?" asked Xavier, leaning against the door.

"Yeah, but they left when they saw me."

Sebastian and Xavier exchanged glances that Harry didn't notice.

"They're kind of annoying, always hanging around Tom and all," said Harry. "I hardly get to see Tom anymore, what with N.E.W.T.s and Quidditch." Xavier and Sebastian both looked down, despondent. Harry saw this and realized immediately that he shouldn't be talking about Tom with them. "Sorry…"

Both nodded their heads, but still felt a sinking feeling in their stomachs.

They sat in the room in silence, the soft hisses coming from Nagini only filling the empty gaps. Xavier was breathing softly, his eyes shadowed by his golden locks. His back lay against the door, but he shifted away from it when he felt the soft vibrations of footsteps coming up.

Tom entered with a face that masked whatever he was thinking. He glanced at Xavier on the floor, but said nothing. His eyes darted to Sebastian, but his lips stayed closed. It wasn't until he saw Harry that he said, "Hello."

Harry saw Xavier look farther down at the floor, hiding his face completely with his hair. Sebastian looked away and covered his head with a pillow, unable to bear hearing Tom's voice. Tom strode across the room and sat beside Harry, brushing his hand against the wizard's thigh in the process.

Tom let his hand remain on Harry's thigh and rubbed it softly, waiting to gain a reaction from Harry. Harry just thought in disbelief that Tom could be so cold toward his old friends and still expect him to succumb to his touch.

"You shouldn't moan so loudly," whispered Tom seductively in his ear.

Harry couldn't believe that, despite what Tom was doing to his own friends, he couldn't refrain from feeling the pleasures that Tom induced upon him. It made him feel sick with himself, like a hypocrite. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see Xavier watching them with an empty stare. He could see Sebastian peering from behind his pillow as well. Harry opened his mouth, about to say something, but Tom spoke first, "Let them watch. It's all they're good for."

Harry hoped that Sebastian and Xavier hadn't heard Tom, but the look on their faces told him that they had. They both got up to leave, but Tom had his wand out and pointed at them before either could take another step.

"Stay," he ordered, "You will watch us."

They remained standing, but made no attempts of moving. Slowly, the returned to where they were before and stared at Harry and Tom. Satisfied, Tom kissed Harry and was about to undo his robes when he realized that Harry wasn't kissing back. "What's wrong?"

With an irritated scowl, Harry shouted, "Stop ordering them around! They're your friends!"

Xavier and Sebastian let out a loud gasp and pulled out their wands. They trembled in their hands, a sense of fear overwhelming them. They huddled together, backing into the corner, their wands pointing defensively.

Tom let out a laugh that caused Harry to tremble, "Friends?" his laughter turned into a cackle of the utmost madness. "Why would I waste my time with something as trivial as friendship? Those two," he pointed his wand at the frightened blond and Australian, "are—what's the word?—servants? That sounds fairly accurate," he mused. "And servants are meant to take orders and _obey _them," he emphasized the last words, looking at the two.

"Then what am I to you?" Harry demanded.

"You?" Tom leaned closer so that he could feel Harry's breath on his lips, "You're the only person I can trust." His voice was cold as he said it. "You bring out emotions in me that I had wanted to keep hidden, but I'm not afraid to reveal them to you, Harry. I enjoy being in your presence, expressing our _romance_."

Harry shuddered, a pang of guilt dropping in his gut. Tom trusted him…and all Harry had ever done to him was lie.

"But I don't enjoy being ordered around, Harry." His voice remained cold and deadly serious. The grip on his wand tightened.

"But how can you just treat your friends like that?!"

"I told you, they're not my friends."

"That shouldn't matter! It's not right to order people around like they're your slaves!"

"Servants," corrected Tom.

"There's no difference! Just stop it!" Harry's anger had reached its peak. He had his wand out and pointing at Tom threateningly. Tom merely glared, his wand aimed at the cowering wizards in the corner.

"Or you'll what, Potter?"

Harry hesitated, but his wand didn't falter, "I'll—"

"Do nothing." Sebastian spoke quickly and stopped Harry from saying whatever he was about to say.

For a moment, Harry thought Tom was going to cast a spell, but Tom merely lowered his wand and stared at Sebastian.

"Am I your friend?" Harry asked, forcing Tom to tear his gaze from Sebastian.

"Of course you are, Harry."

Harry didn't look convinced.

"I told you - you're the only person I can trust. You're probably my only _true_ friend." Tom raised a hand and caressed Harry's cheek, "Don't you know that?"

Harry hesitated at first, but then fell victim to Tom's melting touch. "Yeah…I know now." Tom kissed him softly to show him how much Harry meant to him. Xavier and Sebastian were forced to watch out of fear, but Harry seemed to have forgotten about them at the moment. Tom's lips proved to be stronger than even the Amortentia. "Stop being angry and just let yourself go…" instructed Tom, peering out with his peripheral vision at Sebastian and Xavier's wandering eyes.

Harry didn't know why, but he apologized, "I'm sorry, Tom."

"I know." Tom knew exactly why though. He knew Harry was sorry for lying to him, for not telling the truth from the start. Tom had to discover Harry came from another time on his own; he's always done things on his own. He had arrived at Hogwarts on his own, after all, and he had survived four years at the place without anyone's help. Even with Harry now in the picture, Tom felt like he could still do everything on his own. Yet, Harry had helped him somehow with finding the Chamber of Secrets. Without that argument with Harry, Tom probably never would have been desperate enough to find the Room of Requirement and thus discover a world that was embroidered with lies and deceit.

As he kissed Harry, Tom fought with his inner being. Instinctively, Tom needed to hurt Harry, to avenge himself for playing the part of the fool. But there was something inside him that fought against all natural instinct; a part of Tom that was tickled when Harry slipped his tongue into his mouth.

It was nothing, he told himself, just a pure lusting of the body and nothing more. Humans where born with the need to satisfy sexual urges. That's all that this was: Tom's need to satisfy his hormones.

Harry pressed his body closer to Tom, peering into Tom's dark eyes with his emerald ones. He pressed his lips against Tom's, evoking more sensations that brought confusion along with them. No matter what Tom thought, he couldn't clearly explain what Harry was doing to him. Tom didn't want to become attached to the person before him. If he did, that would ruin everything he'd worked so hard to do.

What came first was the Chamber. Tom had to open it and show this school that most of its students weren't worthy of being taught. That's what came first—finishing what his great ancestors had started upon building the enchanted castle.

It wasn't right for Harry to be coaxing such strange emotions from him. Tom needed to be alone—isolated emotionally from his "friends". He had already let Xavier and Sebastian in so far. It was a wonder how he pushed them away so easily. They didn't deserve the treatment he was giving them, but Tom needed to be alone. If he were to do anything on the contrary, the results would be disastrous.

Harry's scar prickled, but he ignored it. Voldemort's voice was long gone from his mind and everything seemed right with the world. He couldn't even remember why he had been angry with Tom just seconds before, but now—everything felt like it was going to go his way. Harry felt the world brighten, and there was a shining light at the end of a long tunnel that got brighter with each passing moment. School was going fine, his relationship with Tom felt divine and he was in his final year in Hogwarts. Life was perfect.

But all good things must come to an end, and Harry couldn't get rid of the feeling that he was forgetting something.

* * *

I will remind you all that I'm taking SAT courses after school and am also volunteering at the hospital. I'm going to be really busy for a while so updates will take awhile. They won't not be coming; they'll just be a little delayed. But I also said that I'm inspired greatly so when I do update, expect the unexpected. That's all I have to say for now (besides review, please!) 


	14. Lost Trust Lost

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 13 – Lost Trust Lost_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter.

**Warning: **The usual stuff that is for some reason sinful.

**Author's Note: **Ack! I have nothing to say here Um…want to do some math? Okay, err: Add the bed, subtract the clothes, divide the legs, and pray to God you don't multiply…that was lame I know…my brother told it to me. At first I was like "Que?" and then I thought like a hetero and I was like…ew. Okay, I'll let you read the chapter now.

* * *

Harry walked out to the sound of wild cheering and disgruntled booing. The wind brushed past his untidy hair and the skies above were cloudless and infinite. On one side of the field were the Slytherins, cheering loudly as Trey mounted his broom and kicked off into the air with a smug grin. His team followed shortly after, performing maneuvers in the air and taunting the rival team: Gryffindor. With the raising of his beaters club Trey roused the crowd into booing as the Gryffindor team came onto the Quidditch field. 

Just as the Slytherins had done for their house's team, the Gryffindors whistled and cheered for the scarlet-clad team. The Gryffindor captain, Link Serge, kept a blank expression on his face but couldn't help rolling his eyes in annoyance at Trey's antics. When Trey finally descended onto the field, they shook hands bitterly. Monsieur Daedalus blew his whistle, setting the balls loose and starting the game.

Harry hovered in the air, immobilized, as the game commenced with an uproar of cheers from the crowd. At first, all Harry did was watch the bitter rivalry of Slytherin and Gryffindor fought out in a game of Quidditch. It wasn't hard to believe that even many years ago, before the constant suspicion of death eaters, Slytherin and Gryffindor were at each others' throats. The players in this game were just as determined as those in any other match Harry had had against the adversary team in his own time. But back then, that team had always been Slytherin, not Gryffindor.

A Bludger came flying his way and Harry ducked reflexively, feeling a gust of air pass his head as it hit the Gryffindor behind him.

"Johnson takes a Bludger to the back and is nearly knocked off his broom," Harry looked at the commentator's box and saw Minerva McGonagall sitting inside, the microphone in her hands. Her eyes darted from side to side quickly, trying to follow the players as they whizzed by, "Kurt has the Quaffle and passes it to Sid who passes it to Boggs who throws it at the Slytherin goal and—" There was an intake of breath, but the crowd let it out with a disappointed sigh, "—and Dean catches it."

Slightly disappointed that the Quaffle had not gone into the hoop and scored for Gryffindor, Harry realized that Slytherin wasn't his opponent this time. He should be hoping for the downfall of the House he had lived in for six years of his life, but Harry just didn't have it in him to play arduously when competing with the people he considered his friends.

"There goes Kurt again with the Quaffle and—he's hit with a Bludger from Trey," McGonagall commentated bitterly. "Maximillian catches the Quaffle and throws it into the air. Trey hits with his bat and it goes flying towards the Gryffindor goal!" Harry heard her gasp through the microphone; she was very involved the game. "And, thankfully, Brendon catches it."

Harry flew around the field, focusing more on the game below than on his search for the Snitch. He could see all the banners and flags of snakes and lions, waving as the players flew by. They cheered madly when Gryffindor managed to score against Slytherin's Keeper, Dean. "And Gryffindor earns the lead with ten points to none," said McGonagall, a slight enthusiasm in her voice. Harry knew that the older Professor McGonagall enjoyed having the Quidditch Cup in her room, but he never knew just how much she really enjoyed the game.

Xavier came into view with Sebastian at his side, and Harry gave them a smile and a wave. They didn't seem to be paying much attention to the game, though. Their heads hung low as if it were wrong to take even a peek at the events going on overhead. Tom was with them too, Lestrange cooing fondly at his side. His attention was focused on Harry's movements, his brows furrowed in a serious expression, showing Harry that he was concentrating on keeping up with him.

"Avery dodges a Bludger and scores ten points for Slytherin."

Avery had appeared on the team when one of the previous Chasers had resigned without reason. Though he had looked awfully frightened when finally up in the air...

"It seems Serge has spotted something—could it be?—yes! He's seen the Snitch!"

_Already?! _ Harry looked around him wildly and at last saw Serge on the other side of the field, flying superbly and with great speed. Harry took a last look at Tom, who merely smirked and waved Harry off, then chased after Serge and the Snitch. With the Silver Arrow Tom had given him for Christmas, Harry made it to Serge in record time. Despite himself, he couldn't help but feel that it was still incomparable to his old Firebolt.

According to McGonagall's announcements Gryffindor had just scored another ten points, but Harry didn't have the time to linger and watch other players anymore. If he caught the Snitch it wouldn't matter how many goals Gryffindor made in the next ten seconds - that's all the time it took for the Snitch to be caught.

Harry and Serge were in a deadlock, both of them sporting Silver Arrows which flew at breakneck speed toward the golden ball with wings.

_Miss me, Potter? _

Harry faltered and fell a few yards behind Serge, who looked backwards, bewildered. Pausing to hear if the voice would return, Harry shook his head and quickly rationalized that it was nothing but a trick of the imagination. He resumed his hot pursuit of the Snitch.

_I can see you. A bit blurred, but it's not difficult to single you out from the others. You do stand out, after all. You and that scar of yours; it'd probably be better if you were standing in front of a massive beacon of light. Your scar makes it too easy to find you. _

Harry's knuckles were whitening; his grip on his broomstick had caused a few cracks to appear in its shaft. He was no longer paying attention to the game at hand and Serge was getting ever closer to the Snitch.

_Would you like to see something interesting? _

Before Harry knew it, his scar felt like it had been ripped open and he was overwhelmed by a numbing pain. Voldemort could directly control his pain now? Harry was frightened enough that the Dark Lord could even communicate with him. Then again, there was still that hope that this was all in Harry's imagination.

_Hurts, doesn't it?_

The voice sounded a bit weaker than before, almost strained.

_I believe that's enough for now, though. _

The pain ceased immediately and when Harry opened his eyes, he was met with a distorted view of the world. He could see Serge ahead of him, the fluttering of emerald and scarlet robes above him, and the oddly concerned eyes of Tom in the stands nearby. Either nobody noticed his affected flight or they chose to ignore it. Harry wasn't quite sure what his team thought of him anymore. Earlier, when he had fallen unconscious during practice because of his scar, the team had acted reserved towards him. Hardly anyone spoke with him conversationally or said much after a match. They must have thought of him as crazy because of it—Harry was used to people thinking of him in that way.

Actually, he preferred that they didn't speak to him or get too close. It gave Harry an excuse to avoid befriend anymore Slytherins.

_They'd like you if you gave them a chance, Potter._

Was he reading his mind? Could he hear what Harry was thinking?

_Yes, Harry. I can hear every single thought in your head. I can even tell you that it's time. The Chamb—_

Voldemort's hissing voice stopped so abruptly that Harry thought that he had gone momentarily deaf. But he could still hear the roar of the crowd as a Slytherin desperately hung onto his broom after suffering a near-Bludger attack. Nothing was wrong with his vision anymore; there was Tom, crystal clear in front of him with his wand pulled out and aimed at the other side of the field.

Harry followed the aim of Tom's wand and there, in the midst of the crowd of Gryffindors, was Tom's target. The victim had his hand over his face, his strikingly blond hair passing through his pale fingers. His body was shaking uncontrollably, and his wand was held tightly in his hand. He was clad in blue robes, but there was something off about him. A gust of wind tousled the boy's platinum hair and he was moving his hand away—suddenly a large Bludger appeared in front of Harry; the image of the pending collision, eclipsing his view of the boy, was the last thing he could remember before waking up once again in the Hospital Wing.

Nurse Sedo was standing at his side, sighing in relief as Harry opened his eyes. "You're awake," she half smiled, "I'm glad. I wasn't sure if you were going to wake up from that one."

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"Trey hit you with a Bludger," Harry recognized Sebastian's strong Australian accent and saw him standing at his other side with Xavier.

"Looked like it was on purpose," added Xavier.

"Quidditch is such a dangerous sport," Nurse Sedo clutched a clipboard tightly to her chest, "Children your age shouldn't be playing it," she said with dismay. She left the room, leaving Xavier and Sebastian to be with Harry for awhile.

Harry tried to recall Trey aiming a Bludger at him, but the only thing he could remember was seeing a strangely familiar boy and Voldemort's voice saying—

"Where's Tom?!" Harry sat up abruptly, surprising his two visitors.

Sebastian answered first, "I'm not really sure. He said something about finding this boy who was messing with you during the game, but that was hours ago."

Harry flung the covers off of himself and ran towards the door. "Harry, where are you going?!" Xavier shouted out after him. Halfway out the door, Harry felt an invisible force drag him back into the room.

Looking around for the source of his delay, Harry saw Sebastian with his wand out. "I have to go find Tom! I have to find Hagrid!" He was spouting out words incoherently, "Myrtle! I have to find Myrtle!" Harry was trying to fight the invisible force, struggling against Sebastian's binding magic. "Let me go!"

Xavier didn't seem to know why Sebastian was holding Harry down. "Leave him alone. Why are you holding him back?" Sebastian failed to respond, and Xavier took out his wand.

"We can't let Harry leave, Xavier." Sebastian was struggling against Harry's feral methods to pry away from the spell.

"Why not?"

"We just can't!" Harry broke free from the spell, knocking Sebastian back a few yards. Harry darted for the door, not caring what Sebastian's motives were. Myrtle was in danger - he had to do something about it. He had to stop Tom from opening that Chamber of Secrets!

"Impedimenta!"

Harry strayed from the door and was pushed against a wall. "I have to save Myrtle!" He yelled out, fighting as hard as he could against Sebastian. With his wand raised, Sebastian kept Harry against the wall. "She's going to die!" Harry warned, making Sebastian lower his wand and momentarily releasing Harry.

Xavier watched in confusion, unable to understand what Harry was talking about or why Sebastian was behaving the way he was.

"Incarcerous!" Long, thick ropes shot out of Sebastian's wand and wrapped themselves around Harry's frame like a binding snake. "That's even more reason for you to stay, Harry."

"What are you talking about?!" Harry couldn't believe that Sebastian was stalling him for so long. If he didn't hurry, the Chamber would be open and he would be too late. "It's a reason for me to leave! I have to save her! I have to stop Tom!"

"I'll go…" Sebastian began walking towards the door, leaving the tight ropes on Harry. Without another word, he sprinted out of the room and out of sight.

It took a moment for Harry to realize that Sebastian had just left, and he barely had time to fathom why.

"Diffindo!"

The ropes loosened and fell on the floor . Xavier had his wand aimed at Harry and bore an unreadable expression. "I don't know what's going on," he flicked his wand and the door opened with a bang, "but you should hurry."

"What's going on out here?" Nurse Sedo came out of her office, catching only a glimpse of Harry's robes as they trailed behind him out of the door.

Xavier didn't know what to say - he wasn't even sure what was going on. "I think we should get the headmaster."

-+-+-+-+-+-

"Aragog! Where are ye?" Hagrid said quietly, making his calls almost pointless. He a made a strange clicking noise with his tongue as he roamed the halls of Hogwarts, "Aragog!" he called again, "Where is tha—"

Neither him nor Harry were paying attention to the path ahead of them, the crash that ensued inevitable. Harry found himself lying on his back and feeling as if he had just run into a brick wall; Hagrid merely stumbled backwards a bit. The Invisibility Cloak slipped off of Harry and Hagrid growled in irritation at the sight of a Slytherin.

"Watch where ye goin'!" he said bitterly.

"You lost Aragog?" Harry said, frightened. "Your Acromantula?"

"How do ye know about him?" Hagrid asked in a suspicious yet surprised tone.

Aragog was missing, loose in the castle when the Chamber of Secrets would be opened. Tom was going to frame Hagrid again! He dashed passed Hagrid, ignoring the angry questions, and he headed towards the girl's bathroom on the second floor.

He put the Invisibility Cloak back over his body, hiding himself from outside view, and took out a crystal ball. "Show me Tom Riddle."

The image was blurred at first, but Tom's appearance soon became clear. His pale face smiled and in the background Harry could see the outlines of the bathroom. Tom's lips were moving, but the crystal ball lacked the ability to produce sound. The image of Tom panned outwards, showing his entire body clothed in Slytherin robes. His wand was out and aimed at another person in the room. Harry couldn't see who it was; he had asked to see Tom only.

His reflection stared back at him in the crystal ball as the images of Tom faded. Harry ran faster, running up the stairs, jumping over the false step, and spotting the girl's bathroom on the second floor. He made to push the door, but stopped at the sound of Tom's voice.

"What do you want now, Chaud?"

"You haven't called me that since our first year." Sebastian's depressed voice echoed in the bathroom to Harry's ears. "So why call me that now?"

"Because of what it means." Harry didn't open the door – they would notice and stop talking, and he wanted to hear them. "'Chaud', meaning 'hot'. You've always been an exceptionally bright person, but here you go and do something as stupid as trying to stop me. You should know better than anyone that you won't be able to."

"Somebody has to, Tom. If there weren't any obstacles, this wouldn't be much fun for you, right?"

Through the door and the tension of the air, Harry could picture Tom smiling.

"You would hardly be considered an obstacle." Tom said, his tone demeaning. "You'd save us both the trouble if you just left and forgot about everything you saw."

The door pushed open and nearly hit Harry. Sebastian was standing in the door frame just long enough for Harry to slip inside the bathroom with his Invisibility Cloak. Tom's back faced the sink that could open to the Chamber of Secrets. Sebastian looked as if he were about to leave, but closed the door and stepped back inside.

"Harry knows what you're planning," Sebastian said crossly. "He's just been too blinded by you to do anything about it."

"Don't be jealous of Harry," said Tom sternly. "You had your chance with me and you failed. Harry is a much more capable wizard than you, Chaud, and he has proven it by knowing better than to try and stop me."

Harry's eyes widened from beneath his cloak. Tom was right. Harry was in the same room as them, and he knew everything that Tom was going to do; he had planned to come here in order to stop him, but he wasn't doing anything at all.

"You can't kill Muggle-borns, Tom!" Sebastian shouted in a rage. "They were born with natural, magical abilities and have every right to come to this school!"

"Letting them come to this school deludes them into thinking they are equal to people like me—the heir of Salazar Slytherin!" Tom spoke with a new pride he had kept hidden for so long. "I suffered in a bloody orphanage for ten years of my life without knowing anything about magic! Then, I finally find a place where I can use my talents; make them stronger. You have no idea how I felt the day I found out I was a wizard. I thought I was unique," Tom scowled, not only at Sebastian, but at every witch and wizard alive. "You'd think that the heir of Slytherin would have been treated better than the rest, but I had to return to that orphanage every year! And when I finally come back to Hogwarts, there are only more unworthy Mudbloods here, gaining the same teachings, opportunities, skills as me! They don't deserve it! Not like I do!"

Sebastian didn't speak; he just stared at Tom as if he had never seen him before. Harry looked at Tom…as if he was Lord Voldemort.

"Did you know that Salazar Slytherin built an underground chamber when he found Hogwarts?" said Tom, suddenly amused. "'The Chamber of Secrets' he called it. Inside was a mighty beast that would do the work Salazar couldn't finish. Harry knows about it; he showed it to me."

"Harry wouldn't do that," defended Sebastian, "He wouldn't help you kill innocent Muggles!"

"He would do anything for me," reassured Tom with a smug grin, "He loves me."

Harry was stunned.

"You tricked him! You don't love him, Tom"

"Don't call me 'Tom' anymore." Tom raised his wand, "I am Lord Voldemort."

Harry knew what was coming, but he couldn't do anything about it. His body lay stiff on the floor, unable to function. Harry had been hit with a silent stunning spell, but from whom he had no idea.

"This is the end, right?" A few tears trickled down the side of his face. "Maybe Harry will have a better chance with you, Tom."

Tom pointed the wand that held a single feather from the phoenix Fawkes and cast his own Unforgivable Curse.

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

A jet of green light shot out of the wand, flying straight toward Sebastian. Harry wanted to yell, to warn Sebastian that it wasn't just an ordinary curse, to push him out of the way, to do anything! But even his voice failed him. The wand in his pocket was so close, but the effects the spell prevented him from doing anything at all.

Sebastian didn't look surprised though; he was smiling. Tears streamed down his face, but he still smiled. Even when the blazing green light rammed into his chest, Sebastian's face didn't contort into that of shock or fear. He shined his disappointed, paradoxical smile at Tom until his body hit the chilled floor of the girl's bathroom. His eyes remained open, watching Tom through death.

_SEBASTIAN! NO! SEBASTIAN!! _Harry tried to scream, but his mouth refused to make a sound. _NO, NOT AGAIN! _ Harry couldn't believe what was happening. With his body frozen on the floor, it was still a shock to see another person die in front of his eyes. It had happened too many times.

Tom had killed. The path he chose was clear now; even Harry couldn't deny it any longer. Tom was destined to become the Dark Lord of his time, he had said so himself. Sebastian was just a stepping stone towards achieving his goal. His friend's death meant nothing to him.

That's what caused Harry's eyes to water, despite the curse that bound him. With a flick of his wand, Tom turned Sebastian's head so that the late wizard's disturbing gaze wouldn't deter him. Sebastian's head now faced Harry, watching him through the Invisibility Cloak. All Harry wanted to do at that moment was run. He knew why Tom didn't want to see Sebastian's face. The eyes that Harry couldn't look away from were piercing him with a stare that shouldn't be seen after death. Sebastian's final gaze upon Tom was that of love. He had smiled till death because he wanted Tom to know that even death wasn't the end. He had and always would love Tom, no matter what he did to him.

Harry didn't understand. How could Tom kill someone who loved him so much? How could he hurt the people that cared about him the most?

The answer came when Tom collapsed to the floor, hiding his face in his hands, his body shaking violently. His wand fell through his fingers, the tip still glowing a demonic green. He was muttering something, though was difficult to hear because of the shaking in his voice. "I didn't know…I didn't know…"

Tom stretched a shaking hand to Sebastian, and then hastily retracted it, fearing that touching him might confirm the effects of his spell. "I didn't know, Sebastian." Pale fingers finally grasped Sebastian's tan hand, feeling the cold sensation that only appears when Death has just chilled the blood. "I didn't know…" That's all Tom could say.

The reason for Sebastian's absence in the future revealed itself to Harry. Sebastian had never had the opportunity to become the great wizard Harry was sure he would have become. The awesome talents that were second only to Tom Riddle would never be seen by the wizarding world. The strange words he used would never be heard again and the accent that stood out in London would disappear. Never again would people see his smiling face or receive his kindness. Sebastian had always been nice to Harry; he had never done wrong. Even in the Hospital Wing, Sebastian had tried to stop Harry to save him. He knew what Tom was up to and went anyway.

Harry couldn't see Tom anymore; his tears were fogging his eye sight. He tried to blink them away, but he couldn't. Harry didn't know who had cast the spell on him, but he hated them more than anything at that moment. That person prevented him from stopping Tom, from saving Sebastian, from preventing the agony he felt as he realized that the world he thought he had left behind had followed him.

A small hiccup came from one of the stalls and Tom slowly turned towards it, the heaviness in his body suddenly lifted. Using his wand, he opened the stall's door and revealed Myrtle sitting with her knees to her chest. Her eyes were puffy and red; uninhibited tears rolled down her face.

"Who are you?" Tom demanded; his commanding voice defied the way he was feeling.

Myrtle tried saying something, but she kept hiccupping and choking, unable to speak to the boy she knew had done something horrible. She didn't dare look him in the face or move an inch. Tom walked away and spoke in a language she had never heard before.

Harry watched in horror as Tom fought against all semblance of human morality and opened the Chamber of Secrets. The tap that bore the mark of Slytherin spun with a brilliant white light and sank into the floor. A large pipe stood in its place and Harry could see the awe in Tom's face at the thought of finally finding his ancestor's hidden room.

There was a rumbling sound that masked the frightened shrieks of Myrtle. The sound became closer and a hair raising _hiss_ could be heard from the depths of the tunnel. It wasn't long before Harry heard the insensible hiss turn into a voice he had heard only in his second year of Hogwarts.

"_Heir of Slytherin, I serve only you." _ The mighty Basilisk slithered out of the massive pipe and appeared in all its horrific majesty. Tom didn't say anything, but the Basilisk knew what he wanted. _"I smell blood…"_ It's incredibly long body flowed out of the pipe, filling the entirety of the bathroom. It needed only to hear the terrified squeals of Myrtle to find her stall.

Harry could hear only the blood curdling scream that followed. There were now two victims that had fallen at the hands of Tom; another person that Harry could do nothing for. How many people would it take for Tom to be satisfied?

"There's no turning back now…" Tom whispered blankly, his voice stoic and distant.

"_I smell more blood…" _the Basilisk hissed, its body circling around Sebastian's corpse.

"_This castle is filled with the blood you desire. But you mustn't attack now. I'm sure people heard her scream." _

"_Yes…but I smell more blood in this room."_

At that moment, Harry's body fell back into his control and there was a smoke-gathering blast that exploded from one of the stalls. Harry heard the Basilisk's fangs sink into one of the stalls, unable to see because of the smoke that filled the air. Harry felt something pull him to his feet and without knowing how, he was being dragged out of the bathroom.

The Basilisk went to chase after him, but was forced to halt, _"Stop! They'll see you! Get back into the Chamber!" _

Obeying orders, the Basilisk slithered backwards, its hissing subsiding, back into the pipe which closed behind it. With a bit of trouble, Tom transfigured Sebastian's immobile body into a textbook and ran out of the bathroom.

The explosion had come out of one of the stalls, which could only mean that someone else was there – that someone else had listened to everything that happened. That person could destroy Tom if they told anyone about what he had just done. But there wasn't any time for Tom to think about it. People would be coming soon, and he had to get away as quickly as possible. There weren't any people outside for the time being and Tom ran without having any idea where he was heading. He just knew that he couldn't be seen at the place where Myrtle's dead body lay.

Harry was running also, the confusion and shock he felt making it difficult to know or care where he was going. His Invisibility Cloak had slipped off and was caught by the person who was running just as quickly beside him. There wasn't anytime to see who it was; Harry had to find someone and tell them what had just happened.

"You can't tell anyone what you saw."

The person's voice made Harry's body freeze. The person continued to run before noticing Harry's absence. They turned back and grabbed Harry's hand, beseeching with a tug that they run. "We can't stop now! We're still too close to the body."

"H-how?"

"There's no time to explain! We have to _go_!"

Hermione pulled on Harry's hand and they both ran away from the scene of the crime; their eyes were still wet from witnessing the birth of Lord Voldemort.

* * *

Nothing much to say. The plot has unfolded and only God knows where it will lead. Review please… I'm hungry. ::domos:: 


	15. Time Children

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 14 – Time Children_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters and you should all know that by now.

**Warning: **This chapter contains the intro of a new character! And may Sebastian R.I.P.

**Author's Note: **I'm really sorry for the incredibly late update. I've just been so busy with school and the SAT. That's over with though so I can get back to writing for you guys! I was really surprised by all the reviews I got because I've been dead for so long, so it made me feel guilty for having not updated. There were a lot of questions about what's going on. This chapter doesn't really answer them, but we're getting to it. Right now, everything is crazy, so it's my job as the author to put everything back to normal. That might take a couple of chapters though…so be expecting a lot more updates!

* * *

Harry pulled his arm viciously away from Hermione's grasp, "What's going on?" he wanted answers and didn't intend on moving without them. 

"Harry, there really isn't any time to exp—"

They both heard a high-pitched scream coming from the direction they just left. Someone was unfortunate enough to find Myrtle's dead body. People were running towards the source of the panic and ignored Harry and Hermione who were standing idly in the middle of the hall. They were still too close. Hermione grabbed Harry's hand again dragged him into an almost sprint.

If it weren't for the person's continuing cries, Harry would have objected and fought harder against Hermione. But there was still a sense of shock that prevented Harry from even attempting escape. Sebastian was dead. Tom had killed him. Myrtle was dead. Tom had killed her too.

Hermione tugged on his hand and they were sprinting towards the only place she could think of. Students were still running past them without a second glance, all of them wanting to know what was going on. There was a sense of panic in the air that did nothing to calm Harry down. If he could, Harry would have yelled out every spell he knew just to release the abyss of feelings that overwhelmed him. But Hermione's astonishing speed prevented him from getting a hold of his wand.

More screams echoed behind them and Hermione only ran faster. Harry's legs were aching; the fact that he had been immobile for so long and was now suddenly running at a speed he didn't think possible for Hermione was putting a lot of pressure on them, but he had lost all feeling in them long ago. He could feel his body slowing down and the world around him starting to blacken. There was no point in going on. There seemed to no point in doing anything anymore. No matter where Harry went, the people around him were always going to fall at the hands of Lord Voldemort. He might as well give up and let Fate take her course.

"Snap out of it, Harry! We're almost there." Hermione had seen Harry drift off into near-unconsciousness and shook his body violently.

Harry tried to clear his head. It wasn't his fault that this was happening but he wasn't going to let it happen again. It was his mission in life to fight against Lord Voldemort and he was going to win, whether he was in the past, present, or future.

They stopped in front of a statue of a gargoyle and Hermione quickly spoke the password to enter the Headmaster's office. "Petrified Wood," she said and the gargoyle jumped out of the way revealing a revolving staircase. They both climbed up the steps and, without knocking, entered Armando Dippet's office.

Dippet was pacing around his room, muttering to himself as the portraits of previous headmasters openly spoke with agitation. Dumbledore was in the room along with most of the other teachers. Professor Hotot, the Charms teacher, was leaning against a wall with his eyes closed either in deep thought or senility. He snored rather loudly and awoke with a start, unsure of where he was. When he remembered that Dippet had called most of the staff he fell right back into his deep reverie.

Professor Trelawney was shuffling her deck of Tarot cards. She pulled out a card, looked at it, and put it back in the deck. She did that many times, always getting the same card and a frightened look on her face.

Professor Slughorn was watching everyone intently.

The Herbology teacher, Professor Orcut, was just entering the room with his grey robes still smelling of Mimbulus mimbletonia. Most teachers had been called in the middle of their classes and had rushed here. Even the ancient Professor Merrythought was present in a chair at Dumbledore's right. The only person missing was Professor Sedo who had been sent to the girl's bathroom to recover the body.

"Oh my…oh dear…oh no…" Professor Dippet paced even more frantically, biting his fingernails as the tension in the room built.

"Maybe you should explain the situation, Armando," Dumbledore offered.

"Yes…yes, let's do that." He halted in his steps and stood in the center of his office, every eye watching him. "When Hogwarts was first founded, Salazar Slytherin built this room, you see, called the Chamber of Secrets and—"

"We all know the tale, Armando." A portrait on the wall Harry recognized to be Phinneas Black cut off Dippet off with irritation. "What has resulted because of it?"

"Well," Dippet was full of nerves and wasn't sure how to go about the situation, "you see…something happened…"

"For goodness sake! Out with it!" Professor Merrythought prodded Dippet.

"Perhaps I should say it, Armando?" Dippet looked gratefully at Dumbledore and took a seat at his desk, letting Dumbledore take over.

Dumbledore was now the center of attention; no one seemed to pay any attention to the two seventh years that were standing out of the way in the corner.

"A student has died." He said simply, but seriously. "The creature kept hidden in the Chamber of Secrets has been released and has taken the life of Meza Myrtle." There were a few intakes of breath. "Irene is already at the scene doing everything she can, but right now, we must worry about the safety of the other students. The culprit is yet to be identified and the beast may still be hiding in Hogwarts."

"Then we must close down Hogwarts!" shouted Professor Orcut, deeply worried.

"But it might never reopen," said Slughorn, "If word of this tragedy were to reach the ears of anyone besides those of the girl's parents, then the children's parents would surely refuse to bring them back the following years. We must act about this in the calmest of measures. We will inform the girl's parents and convince the students that no harm has been done."

"You want us to lie?" Orcut demanded bitterly, "How can you think of keeping the children here when their lives are in danger? For all we know, that _thing_ may still be lurking around!"

"Then what do you propose we do?" Slughorn asked with the same rage. The predicament was getting to them all.

"Horace, Arbor—please," Dumbledore stood between them and stretched out his arms, "Now is not the time to argue. We should find the culprit so we can resolve all of this."

"Who would be foolish enough to remain at the scene of the crime?" said Slughorn.

"Someone who thinks they can get away with it," inquired Merrythought. "The culprit wouldn't leave Hogwarts because then we'll know who it is." She closed her eyes, digging into her endless years of knowledge, "Only the Heir of Slytherin can release the creature within the Chamber. We find the heir, and then the person responsible for this will be found."

A couple of people nodded in agreement while the others shook their heads disapprovingly.

This was wasting too much time. Harry knew that with each passing moment, Tom was closer to being free of the crime he committed. He had to tell them who did or else they will catch the wrong person.

"I know who the Heir of Slytherin is."

Every head in the room turned toward Harry; their eyes fell on Hermione, just noticing her and Harry for the first time.

"It's Rubeus Hagrid," she said in a clear, strong voice that showed that she had no doubt in her mind that she was wrong. Harry was too shocked to object.

"Rubeus?" Orcut almost laughed at the thought of it, "How could he be the Heir? He's not even in Slytherin House."

Hermione answered quickly, as if she expected to be asked that. "Hagrid avoided entering Slytherin's House as to not look suspicious when he opened the Chamber of Secrets. He spent his first year looking for the whereabouts of the Chamber and found it only recently."

"Avoid entering Slytherin? Preposterous," said Orcut, not at all convinced.

"The Sorting Hat chooses the House it sees as the best for the person wearing it. The wearer may not agree however and decide to want to enter another House. Harry can confirm this," she turned to Harry, her face expressionless to him, "Right, Harry?"

Harry slowly nodded his head and Hermione quickly took that as an answer, "The Sorting Hat had wanted to put Harry in Gryffindor, but Harry chosen otherwise as to keep watch on Tom Riddle."

"Why Tom Riddle? He has done nothing wrong."

"As you all should know, Harry traveled back in time. This was in order to prevent the Chamber of Secrets from opening."

_That's a lie, _thought Harry. She was lying to them and none of them knew it.

Hermione continued, "Tom Riddle was supposed to stop Hagrid from opening the Chamber and was the one who knew about Hagrid's intentions from the beginning. He has been following Hagrid endlessly in order to see what Hagrid was up to and when he discovered that Hagrid was the Heir of Slytherin, he tried his best to stop him."

"How do you know all this, girl?" Orcut was getting annoyed that Hermione knew the answer to everything.

"As I said before, Harry and I are from the future and were sent here, too late I'm afraid. The death of Myrtle hasn't been prevented and Hagrid might roam free again."

"Free? You can't expect us to not do anything about it after hearing all this!"

"And on what grounds can you accuse Hagrid on? That a person from the future told you the most explicit details of his plan?"

'Well—we can—um…"

"You must find Tom Riddle and get the details from him as if I told you nothing. He will give you the evidence you need to stop Hagrid from becoming a Dark Wizard."

"Boy," Orcut pointed at Harry, "is all this true?"

Hermione looked at Harry, her face still unreadable. Everyone in the room was watching him: Dumbledore, Dippet, Slughorn, even the portraits on the wall.

What should he say? Hermione had lied to them all. Why would she say that? Harry just couldn't understand. How could he when just her presence itself was already too difficult to fully comprehend?

Harry just wanted to leave. He couldn't take all the stares and questions. Nothing Hermione said was true, so how could she expect him to agree as if it was?

"Yes…"

It was because they were best friends. After six years together, Harry knew Hermione to be the brightest witch he had ever known. The only other person that could match her was probably…Sebastian.

"Should we believe them?" Merrythought suddenly whispered to Dumbledore who had said nothing throughout Hermione's explanation.

Dumbledore opened his mouth, about to answer, but the sudden entrance of Sedo caught everyone's attention.

Her wand was out, shaking slightly in her pale hand. The once beautiful eyes that had always shined with hope were now red and wet with tears. Her long, dark hair fell over her face, tangled and unraveled. She looked like a completely different person; it was frightening.

"I failed…" she muttered softly.

"There's nothing you could have done, Irene," said Dumbledore, offering her a chair he just conjured from thin air.

"She wanted to stay…" Sedo covered her face with her trembling hands, "Her spirit wanted to remain, I had to let her stay…"

"A ghost?" Merrythought said with a brow raised. "The poor child…" she mumbled to herself.

"I managed to repair the damage done to the restroom. I've told the students to remain locked in their rooms and the other ghosts are watching over Myrtle."

Dumbledore placed a soothing hand on her shoulder, "You've done well, Irene. You should rest—"

"I can't rest while these children are in danger! I have to do something!"

"And you will, but not alone." Dumbledore turned her attention to Hermione and Harry, "These two can identify the perpetrator and can help end this tragic ordeal."

Sedo looked at Harry as if she had never seen him before. She saw him as the boy who had mysteriously come from the future because of the failed attempt of the Tempus Inconcessus. Realization dawned on her that Harry's coming was no accident. It was a cynical act of Fate that brought Harry to the time that would cause chaos in Hogwarts.

Harry looked back into her eyes, almost unable to stare directly into them; the fear in her eyes was almost too much to bear.

"I still don't trust them," said Orcut.

"Well, we really don't have much of a choice now do we, Eruc?" Slughorn gestured to Hermione and Harry, "They're our only source of information right now and we should take full advantage of it. They have come to us from the future in an attempt to prevent the Chamber from being opened. Although they failed, we can still lessen the severity of the situation. We must speak with Rubeus Hagrid and obtain his side of the story first, of course, but we have no reason to distrust these two here."

Dippet pulled out his wand, "Right then—we should summon Rubeus Hagrid then," he pointed his wand at the sleeping form of Professor Hotot, "Bardus, retrieve Rubeus immediately."

Hotot woke with a start, but did as he was told without a single word of objection. Once he left, Dippet turned his attention to the two teenagers, "Both of you do not belong here. You have tampered with our timeline. Despite it being done out of good intentions, your being here has still caused the death of a student. Neither of you must mention what was spoken here; not of Rubeus' accusation, the Chamber of Secrets, or that you are from the future. We will carry out your suspicions on Rubeus and question Tom Riddle as well. Tell the other time child the same thing. The three of you will take lodging in the Slytherin rooms, away from the other students. Avoid speaking to anyone. Professor Slughorn will escort you both now."

Professor Slughorn led Hermione and Harry out of the Headmaster's office, down the revolving stairs, and began walking them towards the Gryffindor Tower.

As they walked, Hermione avoided Harry's gaze, her focus intent on her feet. "Third time child?" Harry asked, his own voice sounding like it came from someone else. "Someone came with you?"

Hermione nodded, still not speaking directly to Harry.

"How did you get here?"

Hermione lowered her head, covering her face with her hair.

"Why are you here?"

No response.

"Why won't you answer me?!"

Beyond her frizzled curls, Harry could hear Hermione hiccup. "I'm sorry, Harry. I had to do it."

"What are you—" Realization dawned upon Harry, "It was you! You stunned me! YOU STUNNED ME!" he repeated with an accusing voice, filled almost with hatred.

"I didn't want to! But for the sake of the timeline, I had—"

"The timeline?! That's why you let Sebastian and Myrtle die?! YOU COULD HAVE HELPED THEM! I COULD'VE SAVED THEM!" Harry was aware of how loud he was yelling, but he didn't care. He could hear people hurrying towards them, wanting to know why someone was yelling during such a perilous time in history.

"I know that Harry! But we can't interfere with time! Everything had to happen the way it was supposed to happen!" Hermione found herself unable to yell as loud as Harry, mainly because of the tears that caused her voice to hiccup after every word.

"Sebastian? Sebastian Chaud?!" They both suddenly remembered that they weren't alone. Slughorn was standing in front of them, wanting them to vent out their frustrations but was vaguely beginning to understand what was happening. "Wasn't Myrtle the only casualty?"

"_Casualty?_ That's how you're referring to her as?!" Harry didn't know why he was angry with everything; with everyone. At that moment, the only thing that mattered was to shout at every person who spoke to him. "She was a student—a _human being_! She's dead! SHE'S DEAD!"

Hermione was frightened. Everything that Harry had gone through before—his parents' death, Oliver's death, Sirius' death, Dumbledore's death, Ron's death—he was releasing his sorrow for all of them. He couldn't save either of them and he hated himself for that. They all died in front of his eyes; in his arms! There was nothing he could've done for them, but he still blamed himself for all of their deaths. Even now, when he knew that Myrtle was next, he could only watch blindly as her life was taken. He could only sit still and do nothing as her murderer got away with it. He didn't care why Hermione was here, who the third time child was, or if he could somehow change everything so that none of this ever happened.

Hermione tried to calm him by wrapping her arms around him in a lamenting embrace. Harry couldn't feel any warmth coming from her. The world around him was cold. He didn't want to feel the heat that many people enjoyed. He didn't want to feel jubilance, warmth, or love. He didn't deserve it. Not after all these lives were taken in front of him.

Slughorn ushered them quickly into one of Hogwart's secret passageways as the footsteps came closer. He didn't dare ask or speak to either Hermione or Harry—not in the current state they were in.

Harry let the tears fill his eyes and fall down his face, not even trying to brush them away. His vision was blurred, but Slughorn was acting as their eyes, pushing them in the right direction. Hermione looked down on the floor, letting her tears hit before her feet. Harry looked straight, not caring if anyone saw him.

They turned the corner and went through a faux wall that led towards Ravenclaw Tower. This was a part of the castle Harry didn't recognize as well as the other places. He had never had a reason to see the Ravenclaw Tower.

The portraits of young, brilliant witches hung on the walls, following Slughorn as he sped past them. There was a unicorn that trotted along through other paintings. Slughorn finally stopped in front of a human-sized mirror that hung in between a bust of Clayton Ascot Larson, a renown wizard who was known for his Ravenclaw beauty, and a portrait of Sarah King Phim who was eyeing Slughorn and his group with large blue eyes.

"Halo." Slughorn said to the portrait of Sarah and she inclined her head. The full-mirror rippled, as if made of water, and Slughorn walked through it, dragging Hermione and Harry by their limps hands.

Ravenclaw's Common Room was surprisingly empty. Harry had expected there to be people talking rapidly, wanting to know what had occurred in the second floor girl's bathroom. But there wasn't a single student sitting in the lush chairs or floating carpets. Slughorn led them to the stairs leading towards the boy's rooms and they followed him. They stopped in front of a locked, oak door. Slughorn opened it easily with a flick of his wand and they swooped inside.

Harry's eyes had dried, but were still red. Hermione's hair was raveled and seemed frizzier than ever. Their robes were tattered and blackened from the explosion in the bathroom. They weren't in the best condition compared to the handsome Ravenclaw boys that they walked in on.

There was a boy that was about Harry's height with light brown hair. He wore glasses that gave him an intelligent-looking appeal. His blue robes hung loosely against his thin body, almost revealing his nude body beneath. More out of courtesy than embarrassment, he tied his robe with a sash and walked up to greet them.

"Hello, Professor," he said in a formal voice and shook Slughorn's hand. "Is this about the ruckus going on outside? I don't really understand why we must be locked up inside, but I'm sure you and the other professors are doing everything they can to fix the problem, whatever it is."

"I cannot tell you, Lawrence. The situation is more grave than we could have imagined; that's all I can reveal."

Harry thought that Lawrence must have some great family connections for Slughorn to even hint at what was going on.

"I understand, Professor." Lawrence looked past Slughorn, just noticing the fragile students behind him. "Are they alright, Professor? Should I give them our room? We would be glad to slumber in the Common Room, right, Clayton?" Lawrence turned to the boy sitting on the bed with a book on his lap. Harry saw his face, noticing the striking resemblance he had to the bust just outside Ravenclaw Tower.

"Sure," said Clay without showing a bit of interest in the matter.

"That won't be necessary," Slughorn was looking around the room anxiously. "Where's Malfoy?" he then asked.

"He's taking a shower. He should be done any minute."

"Malfoy? Why is Xavier here?" Harry asked, but his own question was answered as the door to the bathroom opened, letting out a small cloud of steam.

A pale boy stepped out with a towel draped around his waste and another over his head, drying the golden locks Harry knew lay beneath. But there was something different about Xavier. His godly sculpted body was thinner than he remembered, and his hair wasn't falling down to his neck.

"Hey Draco," Lawrence called, "Professor Slughorn is here for you."

Draco? Had he misheard? Harry looked over at the silent Hermione, seeing no surprised response. Either because she was too deep in her thoughts to notice Draco, or because she already knew. The latter seemed more plausible, considering Draco's reaction to both of them was stoic.

"Yes, Professor?" Draco chose to ignore the two students behind him.

"You will be taking refuge in the Slytherin dorm rooms until further instruction is given."

Harry expected Draco to shout out in protest; to start shouting out names of important wizards who can get Slughorn fired for trying to force him to do something unwanted. But Draco did no such thing. Hanging the towel over his shoulders, Draco inclined his head and said, "Yes, Professor," before changing in the bathroom and packing a few robes.

Slughorn and Malfoy said their goodbyes to Lawrence and Clay, and set off towards the Slytherin dorms with Hermione and Harry on their tails. Draco was leading the way, either because he knew it so well or because he didn't want to hang back with his two former acquaintances.

Harry's eyes bore into the back of Draco's pale head, trying to make heads-or-tails of everything that was going on. Nothing seemed to make any sense anymore: Hermione's sudden appearance and prevention of saving Sebastian and Myrtle, Draco's being here—Harry couldn't understand why.

Nobody spoke as they past the armored knights and walked into the bowels of Hogwarts. As the scenery darkened, Slytherin's wall came into view and they stopped before it. Prior to entering, Slughorn turned to Harry, "What has happened to Sebastian?" he asked straightforwardly.

Hermione looked at Harry, her expression blank, but her eyes begging Harry to keep silent. Hermione seemed too exhausted to save Harry with any sly words.

"I don't know."

"Harry," Slughorn attempted a more sympathetic tone, but a worried—almost frightened—voice came from his lips, "Where is Sebastian?"

This time, Harry could answer honestly, "I don't know," he repeated.

Slughorn sighed, "Very well…" he pocketed the information that something has happened to Sebastian and faced the blank wall, "Occamy."

The wall split and revealed the Slytherin common room. Slughorn ushered them inside and them stopped, looking at the stairs leading to the girls and boys rooms. He looked at Hermione and then at Harry and Draco, confused. "It wouldn't be wise to separate the three of you. Would it be alright if you slept in their room, Miss Granger?"

Slughorn asked out of polite habit, but was expecting her to sleep in their room despite whatever answer she gave. Hermione saved them an unneeded argument by nodding her head and following them up the boy's stairs.

They stopped in front of Harry's door, waiting for Harry to open the door. He did so with a shaky hand and sense of skepticism. Harry expected Tom to be sitting on his bed, holding the textbook that had once been Sebastian with a feeling of regret protruding from him, but he wasn't. Tom wasn't there at all.

"Tom has already been summoned by Professor Dippet," explained Slughorn as if he were reading Harry's mind. "And I'm not sure where Xavier is," he added, "The room is all yours. All classes have been canceled until further notice," Slughorn closed his eyes in deep sorrow, turning his back towards them and already half way out the door, "Don't leave the room. Good night." He closed the door behind him, leaving three students from the future in the same room.

* * *

Okay, it took me thirteen chapters, but I finally got Draco into the story! I'm totally in love with Draco and just **had** to put him in the story somehow, and what a better time to introduce him when nothing is making sense? Questions should be answered in the next chapter about Hermione, Draco, what's going to happen to Tom, what about Sebastian's body, Myrtle's ghost, where's Xavier, what about Hagrid, and all the things that need to be answered. Wow, I have a lot to do, but I'm going to have fun doing it! 

Beta-Note: Hello! This is Tara aka Da-manta-ray. I am the new beta for Time Children!! This sounds like such a great story. If you see any grammatical errors even after I beta-ed, I'm sorry. Blame it all on me!! But I have read through this story and I'm sure I caught all of them. Because this is such a good story, I have not tampered with any of the storyline.


	16. Draco's Coming

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 15 – Draco's Coming_

**Disclaimer: **All these chapters in and I still don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters…shockingly.

**Warning: **This chapter contains Draco and Harry trapped in a room together. I'm sure you can surmise to what may occur.

**Author's Note: **I can't believe I've gotten this far in a story! I'm terribly sorry for the late update, but this chapter is extra long to make up for it! I'm grateful for all the reviews because they're what kept me going when I started writing this. As long as there're reviews, I'll keep on writing because if I know one person's reading this story, I feel good. If I know that one person _likes_ this story, then I'm ecstatic! Anywho, without anymore delaying, here's chapter fifteen.

* * *

Hermione was unnaturally quiet and kept to herself, refusing to even glance at Harry. She could feel his eyes bearing into her, trying to get her attention away from the random book she had pulled out from her bag and was now reading, the text going right through her; it was impossible to concentrate. There were too many questions she knew Harry wanted to ask, but she wasn't sure if she could answer them all. For once, Hermione Granger didn't have all the answers. 

She was sitting on Harry's bed, now only pretending to read from her book. Draco was sitting on the bed of his ancestor, Xavier Malfoy, whose whereabouts were still unknown. He was looking back and forth between Hermione and Harry, not questioning the silence that brewed between them.

Harry sat in the corner. He wouldn't dare desecrate Sebastian's part of the room; he could barely even look at it. The Bunyip Harry had given him for Christmas was sitting ornamentally on the neatly made bed, staring at Harry with its button eyes. Gazing upwards at the ceiling, he could see that the Lost Trust's magic had faded. The cherubic children hovered, frozen in a still-life of the heavens. Their musical instruments played no melody of grief or joy. All that remained were the brush strokes painted by Sebastian only a few years ago.

Tom's bed lay vacant still. No news had reached them of where he was and what would be done about Myrtle's murder. Hermione's accusation of Hagrid would surely cause the same events that occurred when the Chamber of Secrets was opened. History was repeating itself and Harry felt responsible.

A shuffle from Xavier's bed caused Harry and Hermione to look in Draco's direction. He was pulling off his robes and pulling the covers from the bed. No one was saying anything and Draco thought it best to sleep at the moment. In the morning, maybe answers would be given.

The next morning wasn't any better. Breakfast magically appeared on their bedsides, but neither of them felt hungry enough to eat it. Draco continued to watch the two of them; Hermione "reading" her book and Harry yearning for answers. It was Harry's silence that annoyed him the most, but he felt no obligation to tell the wizard anything. Even the bickering of the past would have been better than this unbearably dull Harry Potter.

With annoyed frustration and without warning, Draco flung his pillow at Harry. The boy was caught off guard and took the cushioned attack directly, his glasses nearly falling off. Hermione turned to them, a look of surprise on her face.

"What was that for?!" Harry yelled, bitterly.

Draco gripped another pillow, "It's for being a git," he said and threw the other pillow. This time Harry was ready and caught it, throwing it back at the platinum-blond.

The pillow was easily caught and Draco then flung it at Hermione who wasn't expecting it at all, "And that's for making me keep quiet all this time."

A squeal came out of Hermione as the pillow attacked her face, causing her to nearly fall off Harry's bed. Before anyone realized it, she raised her wand and a swarm of possessed cushions hovered momentarily in the air before swooping down on Draco. Feathers filled the air, covering the blonde's pale figure. The corners of Harry's mouth twitched before curving into a smile; a laugh soon followed.

Hermione watched Harry laughing and felt her own lips curve into a smile, the feeling contagious. The room became a cacophony of laughter and fluttering feathers along with the irritated shouts of Draco.

Using his own wand, Draco blew away the hovering feathers, "Enough. You two had your fill now," he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes at the two wizards who couldn't contain their laughter, "Now start explaining what's going on."

It took awhile for the other two to regain their composure. A few feathers lingered in mid-flight, softening the tension of the room. Draco's question echoed in the air and Hermione was the first to recover.

She hesitated and then began with, "You were never the best at potions, Harry…" Draco snorted in agreement earning a look from the witch. ""When you were casting the Tempus Inconcessus in Professor McGonagall's room, I was coming to try and stop you. I knew that telling you about the Tempus Inconcessus was a mistake and meddling with time's affairs could change our present for the worse. I know you wanted to save Ron," Hermione had to look away as she said his name, "but even some things are better left as they are. I _wanted_ to tell you that…but as soon as I was at the door, you were already performing the spell."

Harry was listening intently to her and he could tell that Draco was eavesdropping from across the room.

"Your spell, it should have been cast somewhere else, somewhere more secure, because it seeped through the bottom of the door. I was standing right outside when a flash of bright, red light shot out and surrounded me. I called for help, but I was already being sent back to wherever the spell was taking you. I thought I was going to be sent back to Spinner's End, but when I came to, I was in Dippet's office."

"Then, how did I not see you?"

"When I arrived here, Professor Dippet told me that someone else had come before me and I knew that only had to be you. I asked when you arrived and he said three days ago. I think that since I was caught in your spell, the arrival was delayed."

"And you never told me?" Harry struggled with himself, not wanting to raise his voice at Hermione.

"Professor Dippet, Dumbledore, Sedo—everyone told me that I shouldn't tell you. I wanted to, I really did!"

"Why wouldn't they let you tell me?"

"They thought that the time was tampered enough as it was. They didn't want to complicate it by letting you know that someone else had come with you."

Harry stared at his feet. He wanted to understand what Hermione was saying, but he couldn't get past the feelings of neglect and abandonment. If she was there the entire time then she could have given him a sign or spoken to him—anything! Harry had thought that he was trapped in a time period without anyone, but here was Hermione the entire time…watching him. His body stiffened at that realization.

"Have you been following me?" Harry asked, a strange mixture of fear and guilt in his voice.

Hermione's broke her gaze from Harry, "I wanted to keep an eye on you. It was hard to stay out of sight and you were always either in your dorm or with Xavier, Sebastian, and…Tom."

_Does she know?_ Harry thought. _About me and Tom?_

She continued, "It took me awhile to realize that we were transported to the time the Chamber of Secrets would be open, so I started to follow Tom more than you. You were so busy with Quidditch and classes that I thought it would be alright. At first, Tom didn't seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary. He would go to classes, work at the library, go to Quidditch matches (he never struck me as a Quidditch fan before) and sometimes meet with you, Xavier, and Sebastian. But a couple months ago, he was seeing less and less of Xavier and Sebastian and spent most of his time near the Room of Requirement." Harry's eyes opened wide with realization. "All he did was pace around as if he didn't know the Room was there, but I could tell he was trying to get in but didn't know how. I don't know what he was trying to do in there, but as long as it was away from the Chamber of Secrets, I thought you may have done something to change time for the better."

"We went into the Room of Requirement once…" Harry interrupted, wanting to speak his mind. "It was by accident and I'm sure he didn't know how it opened. Inside, there was a Pensieve, like Dumbledore's…but it held _my_ memories. He saw a glimpse of me fighting the Basilisk in the future…It was probably because of that that he wanted to return into the Room. He must've known that it had something to do with the Chamber."

Hermione remained silent for awhile before resuming, "He most likely figured out how to get in the Room of Requirement, and from your memories he discovered how to open the Chamber of Secrets."

"Probably…"

"And now he's opened the Chamber again."

"But why did you have to blame it all on Hagrid?" he couldn't help asking even though she already explained it.

"I didn't want to, Harry! But he was accused of opening the Chamber when it first happened. Since we could do nothing to prevent it, the least we could do is allow for these events to occur in the way they were supposed to."

"And Sebastian?" Harry retorted, "He wasn't a part of history before! What if I was supposed to save him! What if he was supposed to live?!" He couldn't help the rising volume in his voice.

"He doesn't exist in our time. If he wasn't going to die now it would have happened eventually because there are no records of him."

Harry knew she was right. She was always right. But it still didn't take away the shock of witnessing yet another death that he couldn't prevent. Hermione got up from her bed and sat next to Harry, wrapping her arms around him in a comforting embrace.

"There's nothing you could've done, Harry." She wasn't just talking about Sebastian's death. "Please don't blame yourself." She hugged him close, no longer saying anything and letting Harry bask in the silence.

No matter how many times people told him that it wasn't his fault, Harry still felt responsible. The weight of people's lives has always been on his shoulders, even since he was proclaimed as The-Boy-Who-Lived. People had bestowed unto him the only ray of hope of defeating the Dark Wizard. They had entrusted him with their lives without really knowing it and that is why Harry felt a surge of guilt when he let the people around him down.

"I know…" he said finally, returning the embrace. "Hermione?"

"Yes?"

She had told him everything that needed to be known at the moment, except for one thing. "When you were following Tom and me…did you see…"

"Yes…" Hermione's voice went suddenly distant. "…I don't want to know how it happened, Harry. I almost hoped that you were under some sort of spell or love potion. But the way you acted around him…it was how you used to act around Cho Chang. You shouldn't talk about it right now—"

"Quiet, Granger, it's getting interesting." They both turned to Draco who had been unusually silent the entire time. "Always knew that you liked playing with _wands_, Potter."

Before, Harry would have lunged at Draco with a flurry of spells spitting out of his mouth, but there was no point in denying it. Harry had done more than enough of that when he first met Tom. It was best to avoid the bitter argument that could occur. He didn't contradict Draco or point his wand at him.

Draco glared, "You've grown dull, Potter." The fight he had wanted to start was avoided much to his disappointment.

"Leave him alone." Hermione urged, still holding on to Harry. "No point in riling him up for no reason. Now's not the time."

Draco rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded like a "fine" before the silence in the room returned.

Draco's words bounced right off of Harry, having no affect him as they would have anytime before. Harry was too enthralled with the fact that Hermione didn't want to know anything about his "relationship" with Tom. Ron never would have understood, but Hermione—Harry thought she would have enough empathy to understand. She was always so reasonable and non-judgmental. If even she couldn't accept let alone acknowledge any feelings he may have had for Tom, then who would?

Harry just sat there in her arms, trying so hard to not think about the wizard who had invoked these strange emotions that contradicted the hatred he felt for him. Even though Tom Riddle was a murderer now and there was no turning back from his chosen path to evil, Harry couldn't bury the feelings he never knew existed prior to meeting the wizard. His feelings were out in the open now and there was no burying them back no matter how much everyone around him wanted him to. But…the fact that Tom is a murderer stayed at the top of Harry's mind. How could he not hate someone like that?

Tom was evil, malicious, sardonic, and gave the impression that he was dead inside, seldom sharing his thoughts and feelings. Did it make Harry sick for still having some sort of feeling for someone like that? Hermione probably thought so. Harry peeked over at Draco, sure that the blond probably thought the same thing.

Now, and not for the first time, Harry's mind was muddled with confusion and Tom wasn't there to take it away. The only thing of Tom's in the room was Nagini.

Hermione nearly fell from Harry's sudden upright position. She watched him scurry over to the corner of the room with a look of fright. Both her and Draco following him, Hermione saw Harry peering into an aquarium. Harry's eyes were moving rapidly, searching for something that Hermione couldn't see. Inside the tank, she only saw a pile of dead leaves, twigs, and a strange paper-thin peeling of what looked like snake skin.

"It's empty." Harry finally said with both relief and disbelief. "At least she didn't hear what we were saying."

"Who?" both Draco and Hermione asked.

Harry looked back at them, almost forgetting that they were there. "Nagini." He answered. Hermione's body stiffened slightly and Draco's eyes scanned the aquarium for any signs of the serpent.

The serpentine familiar was nowhere to be seen, the remnants of her tank left behind to haunt Harry. Thankful that Nagini hadn't heard their conversation about the future, Harry pushed the tank aside, covering it with old robes. Nagini's escape should've worried Harry, but he didn't want to think about her or her owner right then. Her absence was a relief for the moment, giving Harry the freedom and safety to say what he wanted.

For the majority of the school year, Harry had to watch what he said; limiting the people he came in contact with. But now, there were two other people in the same predicament: One who was his best friend since his first year at Hogwarts; the other, a bitter rival he constantly fought with whose coming was still mysteriously unknown.

"Malfoy," he called, gray eyes turning to him. "How did _you _end up here?"

"Forgot already, Potter? Slughorn escorted me from the Ravenclaw dormitories to good-old Slytherin. I believe you where there when he picked me up." Draco was smirking condescendingly, enjoy the chance to toy with Harry.

"You know what I mean, Malfoy."

"I'm not sure I want to tell you," said Draco. "Not with _that _sort of tone." He crossed his arms, waiting.

"Malfoy," Harry struggled not to yell, "How did you end up in this time?"

Draco raised a brow as if thinking, "Say please."

"Please," said Harry quickly as to not give himself a chance to become infuriated with Draco's stubbornness.

"That didn't sound very sincere."

"Please?" repeated Harry, attempting earnest.

"Please, what?"

"Please tell me how you got here."

"Hmm…I still don't believe you. Try calling me Lord Draco the Great—"

"Forget it! I don't want to know anymore," said Harry, haughtily. He couldn't understand why Malfoy had to always make things so complicated. Harry didn't want to fight or argue with the blond, too much had happened and he was still worn out. Besides, Harry had matured enough to know that nothing would be gained by fighting. Malfoy seemed to have maintained that immaturity, exploiting any opportunity to irritate Harry.

"You're no fun anymore, Harry." Draco's voice sounded suddenly different, and Harry turned to him at the mention of his first name. The voice that had mocked him throughout the years had lost its arrogance, calling Harry with a sound of pure candor.

He had his legs stretched out in front of him on the floor. His arms balanced his body behind him as he leaned onto them, looking at Hermione and then Harry. "You've both changed," he stated.

Harry tried to ignore the sudden turn in Draco's presence, "You haven't changed at all," he retorted as if what Draco had said was in insult.

"Haven't I? I would assume that any moment spent with the Dark Lord would change anyone." Draco gazed up at the frozen image of the 'Lost Trust', a look of reminiscing shadowing his features.

Harry and Hermione exchanged glances. Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but Harry beat her to it. "What happened?" the question's vagueness allowed Draco to interpret it however he liked.

Draco's eyes followed the outline of one of the angels, wondering how it would have looked flying, "Voldemort planned to attack Hogwarts again, now that they were virtually defenseless without Dumbledore. The Death Eaters had been waiting for a moment like this. They would capture Hogwarts and use it as their base, knowing that the magical spells that protected it would protect them as well. They would kill everyone of course except for the one's he thought would be good enough to serve him. Slytherin would be salvaged. Gryffindor would be obliterated completely, except for you, Harry." Draco tore his eyes away from the mural and stared straight into Harry's emerald orbs. "He wanted to keep you alive for himself.

"But all that changed quite suddenly. One moment, he was telling the Death Eaters to prepare for battle and the next he was calling it all off. Nobody knew why and they were beginning to question Voldemort's power. Many of them weren't sure if he had recovered from his resurrection and others thought his power hadn't been completely restored. Lucius was one of the few people Voldemort confided the real reason with." Hermione and Harry noticed the purposeful reference to his father by his name. "Lucius then told me because Voldemort was going to use me in his next plan.

"Voldemort's memories were being altered. He was remembering a boy who had appeared during his school days at Hogwarts. It didn't take long for him to realize that Harry had traveled back in time in what he thought was an attempt to destroy him. Furious at first, Voldemort thought of using me to his advantage. Without a response from me, he created the Tempus Inconcessus potion and sent me to the time he could clearly remember the boy who called himself Harry Potter. And here I am."

It took awhile for Harry to take it all in. Even after thinking about for several minutes, he still didn't quite understand everything that had gone on while he was trapped in the past. The future was continuing without him, but it was changing.

"What did he send you back here to do?" asked Hermione after a long silence.

"He had always wanted Harry for himself—to finish the job with his own hands. But that no longer mattered to him." Again Draco stared directly into Harry's eyes, showing Harry that what he was saying was nothing but the truth. "He sent me back to kill you, Harry."

Hermione gripped her wand subtly, telling herself that it was better to be safe than sorry. She hoped that Harry was doing the same, but saw that his wand remained untouched in his pocket. Whatever Draco was planning, she had to protect Harry herself.

"No need to worry, Granger. I have no intention of carrying out those orders." Draco played with a lock of his hair, nonchalantly.

Surprised, Hermione slipped the wand from her fingers and clasped her hands in her lap. She watched Draco intently, studying him. His behavior was incredibly odd to her and she pondered the possibility of trusting him.

"Why?" she found herself asking. "If Voldemort told you to do something, surely you would obey him."

"Not out of choice as is the reason to my coming here." His fingers twirled the strands of his hair before fixing his hair neatly. "But now that I'm here, there really isn't much he can do to me. It's actually a god-sending that I was chosen to come here. Not that he had much of choice though. Only a student would be allowed into Hogwarts and keep a sharp eye on Harry. Considering that every Death Eater was much too old, Voldemort didn't have much choice but to send me. Of course, they considered Polyjuice potion, but he didn't want to risk another incident such as the one with Barty Crouch Jr."

Draco let his arms collapse under his weight, putting them behind his head as he lay on the floor, staring at the frozen mural above. "Being here—away from _him—_is truly a sanctuary. You have no idea what it's like to stand before him," said Draco, momentarily forgetting who he was talking to, "His mere presence is enough to make you feel weak, insignificant, as if you were nothing at all to him—which you pretty much were. He sent his followers on suicide missions without a second thought. I'm sure he thought he could recruit more later. The lives of his Death Eaters meant very little to him. Just look at me," Draco shook his head and laughed bitterly, "He sent me back here knowing that there was no way for me to go back. But I don't care…" He couldn't see Harry anymore, but he knew that he was listening attentively, "…I don't want to go back; not if it means having to face him again."

Harry understood all to well what it was like to stand in front of Lord Voldemort; his body shivered just at the memories. Tom Riddle wasn't like that, but he was beginning to embrace the part of him that would become the Dark Lord whose very name was feared. Tom, who was intelligent, graceful, and powerful, failed to resist the instincts of his ancestors.

"But I never would have thought the memories that were being altered in Voldemort would be of an infatuation." Draco rolled his head on its side, smirking at Harry who couldn't hide the faintest burning of a blush. "He didn't tell anyone that, but you two weren't really keeping it a secret when I arrived."

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry, embarrassed. It was already strange for his rival to be in the same room as him without the two of them fighting; the addition of Draco's teasing was something Harry just wasn't used to.

The 'Lost Trust' found itself under the gaze of Draco once again. "This used to be my room," he stated. "In our time, this is where I would sleep," he indicated to Xavier's bed. "And I always wondered where the mural had come from. None of the other rooms had it."

"Yeah…Sebastian painted that..." It was difficult to say, but Harry couldn't allow Sebastian's artwork to go unknown.

"Leave it to a Slytherin to create something like this," said Draco, admirably. "Truly disheartening, what Tom did…very much like Voldemort," he added.

Harry felt his body stiffen, "Don't say that…" his voice expressed the mixed emotions he was feeling.

"What's going to happen to him?" said Draco with sympathy. "If I recall, Tom is supposed to be set free and it's that oaf who gets the boot."

"Hagrid? Yeah, Hermione made sure of that," replied Harry, the faintest traces of disdain still aimed towards Hermione for that frame-up.

"Probably for the best," said Draco, "timeline and all. If Tom were to be imprisoned for this, his transformation to Voldemort would be quicker and without mercy. At least this way there's still time to delay it."

Hermione gave him an inquisitive look, "What do you mean _'delay'_?"

"I mean that we could use his infatuation with Harry to our advantage." Draco's eyes held the scheming beauty of a Slytherin. He was determined to do whatever he could to stop the future that seemed so bleak.

"I can understand your fear and contempt for Voldemort," Hermione said skeptically, "But why tell us all this? Why help Harry and me when you hated us for so long?"

Harry, too, was curious about Draco's sudden change of heart that had come so unexpectedly. For years, Draco had tormented both of them cruelly. It was difficult to accept this new Draco only because it was so different.

Draco took a moment before answering, carefully choosing his words. "There was a time when I thought I hated you, but I don't think I ever actually did. I used to think Muggle-borns were less of a wizard, but that was just the thoughts that were forced upon me since birth. I don't mind them, really, and I know they aren't any different from a pure-blood. You're smarter than any Slytherin my House," he said to Hermione, "But being surrounded by people who fail to acknowledge that caused me to fall into their beliefs." He turned to Harry, "And you, Potter," said Draco with a teasing smirk, "Anyone who takes the attention away from me is someone that I automatically don't like. But considering nobody around here knows you, my path of fury may deviate." Draco tilted his head, as to not let Hermione see, and offered Harry the rarest of smiles.

Harry turned away from Draco, a thin streak of crimson flushing over his face. Draco was definitely aware of what he was doing which was what shocked Harry the most. Could he…could Draco be flirting with him? Harry shook his head. Of course not, he thought.

Hermione eyed the two of them, carefully taking into account each action and response. Her conclusions were no different than Harry and she looked away, not knowing what to say for the first time. Thankfully, Draco wasn't finished discussing his plan.

"As I was saying before. _Tom_,"—He said his name with much disdain— "will be vulnerable to Harry, especially in his current state of desperation. Something must be done _now_ if anything were to be done later."

Without looking at Draco, Harry asked, "And what is it that must be done…?"

"For now, you must keep the flow of the timeline in order. See to it that Sebastian Chaud never existed." Draco didn't falter as he spoke of the murdered wizard. Why would he, though Harry, if Draco didn't even know Sebastian like he did. Draco was unaware that he was asking too much of Harry. Harry wasn't even sure if he could face Tom. The idea of being with Tom as if nothing had happened sounded impossible.

"Why?" Harry asked himself, wondering if the universe was purposely working against him. Draco heard him and answered.

"Because Tom has to be stopped before the birth of Voldemort is complete. I will _not _have a future where _he _rules! Nobody will survive except for him…there will be no future for anyone of us if Tom isn't stopped." Draco spoke defiantly, fighting the teachings of his father, his peers, and of the Dark Lord. Back in his time, any of these thoughts—these plots—against the Dark Lord would have earned him a treatment of the Cruciatus Curse. But being away from them all, Draco felt like he had to make up for all the wrong choices he made. He never had a choice to begin with, not with his father around, but now—Draco could make a difference.

Harry could see the look of suffering and scorn in Draco's eyes, feeling like he and Draco were similar. Yet, Harry's own defiance started rising up as well, "I don't want to lie to Tom," he stated, earning mixed expressions from Draco and Hermione. Hermione's concerned air warmed Harry's heart. He knew that she couldn't—or didn't want—to understand his relationship with Tom. But the fact that she worried for him—for his worry about Tom—was a step closer to acceptance.

Draco watched Harry with confusion, "You've been lying to Tom this entire time." The truth hit Harry like Cruciatus Curse. "From what I've seen, you two stand on more than friendly terms. Voldemort doesn't consider anyone his friend and Tom shouldn't be any different, especially if you're from another time which I don't think you told him about," said Draco, his thoughts confirmed when Harry reluctantly nodded his head. "Considering our limited options, only Harry can accomplish this simple task of keeping the timeline in check for now." Harry's body shuddered at the word 'simple', "And once Tom feels secure, safe enough to let his guard down again, we will make sure that he takes no part in our future!"

Draco's voice echoed in Harry's ears. There was no doubt in Draco anymore. All previous hatred and anger was no longer pointed at Harry and was focused upon Tom Marvolo Riddle. He didn't see the difference between him and Voldemort. To Draco, there _was_ no difference.

Nobody said anything, but there was a silent agreement amongst them. Then Harry realized something, "What about Xavier?" The boy's disappearance was strange and still unknown, and Harry didn't know what role he would later play in time.

"Great Uncle Xavier? I think I saw him around you and Tom sometimes, but not recently though," Draco thought about his great-uncle for a moment, "He was hardly ever mentioned by Lucius or the family. When I was looking up my family history, I saw his name, but not picture, so I asked Lucius about it. He didn't help at all, saying that it didn't concern me. When I asked mother, she only mentioned that he had been sent to Azkaban very young and died there when I was born."

Hermione, who had been sitting quietly, spoke up, "He would have died at the age of 54; a long life for anyone in Azkaban. What could Xavier have done to have gotten sent there?"

Harry shrugged, "I don't know. Xavier didn't deserve to spend his life in Azkaban…Sebastian didn't deserve to die…"

"Harry, you must stop thinking about it." Hermione cautioned, knowing the path to self-loathing Harry was about to take again, "Stop blaming yourself. There was nothing you could have done—"

"I know!" yelled Harry suddenly, causing Draco and Hermione to flinch, "That's what I can't forgive! I couldn't do anything, no matter how hard I tried!" Draco got up to stop Harry from speaking such nonsense, but a look from Hermione told him that Harry needed to vent this out. "Sebastian was my friend and all I could do to help him was watch him die. A part of me wants to avenge him and stop Tom at all costs. But another part of me…doesn't want to. But none of that should matter. People never thought about what _I_ wanted. They never considered what_ I_ thought. I've always been some pawn in another person's plan. Dumbledore, you, the entire wizarding world! Why can't I be selfish for once and do what I want to do!"

Draco sat at the edge of his bed, stunned. Did Harry Potter really think all this, he thought. Harry had always looked so happy, surrounded by his friends, always taking the House Cup just out of Slytherin's grasp.

"Why does all the responsibility fall on The-Boy-Who-Lived?" Harry continued, his voice calming and his head burying in his arms. He could feel Draco watching him, probably questioning what he was hearing. "I won't tell Tom about where we from, but I'm not lying to him about anything else," said Harry, sternly. Nobody disagreed.

"Why?" Draco asked, bitterly, "How can you be so kind to Tom when you know what he's going to become."

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Draco, Harry," added Hermione.

Harry buried his head deeper into his arms, not sure how to explain. He knew that if he were in their situation, he would be wondering the same thing. But how could you explain your fancy for the person who would grow to kill your parents?

"I know what Tom will become, but he isn't like that right now," said Harry.

"Really now?" replied Draco, unbelievingly, "So killing a Muggle-born and his best friend doesn't sound like something Voldemort would do without hesitation?"

"That's just it. Voldemort wouldn't hesitate, but Tom did!" realized Harry, thinking back to how things happened in the girl's restroom.

"But he still committed murder, Harry," Hermione stated. "However Tom may act now no longer matters. This was the event in his life that decided his path. He chose to follow the path to Voldemort."

Harry felt betrayed by Hermione's inability to understand. None of them understood. Harry truly believed that there had to be some explanation for Tom's actions; that there was still hope for Tom to turn over a new leaf.

He refused to talk to either of them, just wanting to be alone with his thoughts. Harry sat with his head buried in his arms, hiding his face with the help of his hair. Hermione took out a book to read, knowing that Harry needed his privacy. Draco, on the other hand, didn't know Harry as well as Hermione and sat beside the boy. His was presence shifted the bed and Harry peaked between his strands of hair, seeing the blond wizard watching him.

Harry didn't know why, but he felt nervous. Draco had a powerful presence, always making himself known when coming into a room. Although Harry had wanted to be alone, he didn't mind the blond sitting next to him. It was like having Xavier there.

"Tell me about my great-uncle."

Harry smiled weakly, knowing what Draco was trying to do. The request was an attempt to get Harry's mind off other things, and he was grateful for the change of subject. Keeping his head against his arms but turning it so that his eyes met Draco's, Harry began to talk about his crazy roommate.

"Xavier's wild, crazy, and full of raging, teenage hormones." Harry laughed a little at his brief description of the older blond, "But he's also a powerful wizard. He's the one who charmed the 'Lost Trust' so that it would come to life."

"Then why did the spell stop working?" Draco's gaze turned towards the artwork on the ceiling. "Those charms stop working when the caster removes the spell or if they die."

Harry looked up at the painting with distress, not having thought about its immobility. He glanced over at Hermione, who had her book down in her lap, and saw her nod, saying that what Draco was saying was true.

Hermione closed her book, "Draco said that Xavier died in Azkaban, years from now. He probably took down his spell out of mourning for Sebastian," she explained, calming down Harry.

"But still…where could he be?" asked Harry. Nobody knew. There were still so many questions left unanswered and it was frustrating Harry. He let out a groan and fell back on his bed. Draco echoed his movement so that they lay side by side now.

"Xavier and Tom…were they friends?" asked Draco, curiously.

Harry shook his head, "No, you said so yourself, Tom doesn't consider anyone to be his friend." _Except me_, thought Harry, "But they were lovers." Harry thought Draco would raise objection and gasp in disbelief, but Draco didn't seem phased by the news.

"It explains his exile from the family," said Draco, bluntly.

"Actually, he was exiled because he wouldn't go into the family business," corrected Harry.

Draco was surprised; not really knowing what his family had done before their vast wealth was left to his father. Whatever it was, it must have ended with his grandfather Abraxas.

"Tell me, Harry," Draco turned on his side, holding his head up with a propped arm, "Is my uncle anything like me?"

Harry thought about it, "You're nothing like your uncle. But I can't really say that because I don't know you that well."

"Six years and you don't know me at all?" Draco gaped, pretending to be surprised. He closed his mouth and suddenly became serious, "I guess I didn't really give you the chance."

"Neither of us gave each other a chance," responded Harry, sighing. "I mean, you're a Slytherin, I was never supposed to give you a chance. But being here for almost a year now…" Harry thought back to his first meetings with Xavier and Sebastian and of how kind and friendly they were, "…I found out that you guys aren't all bad."

Draco chuckled and unconsciously started playing with Harry's hair. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Hermione's eyes widen. "I'm willing to give you a chance if you give me one," cooed Draco, feeling the surprisingly soft hair flow through his fingers.

Never in his life did Harry think that Draco Malfoy would be petting his head. It was different than the lustful attacks from Xavier or the possessive touches from Tom. Draco was petting his hair affectionately; fully aware of what he was doing. Harry felt at ease, relaxed by Draco's soft caresses. He slowly closed his eyes, feeling himself beginning to forget. The day's horrific events were being drifted out of his mind, replaced by the mysterious thoughts of why Draco was being so caring.

Draco's slender fingers wandered lower, passing over Harry's scar. They remained there, his thumb rubbing it softly. Draco then carefully wrapped his arm around Harry's neck, pulling the boy's head against his chest, affectionately. Harry didn't resist and rested his head against Draco, able to hear the boy's steady heartbeat. The long, slender fingers glided down the back of Harry's neck, barely touching the hairs that stood on end. For a moment, all Harry wanted to do was to remain there forever and forget about everything else. This was his only source of comfort and Harry didn't care if it was coming from Draco Malfoy.

_I must say, Harry, you're quite the lady's man—well, man's man would be more appropriate. _

Harry's body stiffened and his eyes shot open. He looked up at Draco who gazed back with confusion. He turned to Hermione who had an equal expression.

_I don't see how all this plotting is going to help you. The Chamber has already been open and that Myrtle-girl was killed as she was supposed to be. Your interference in time was for nothing, so I suggest going to my younger self so he can kill you. _

How was it possible? Why could he hear Voldemort's voice in his head? Even decades into the past, Harry couldn't run away.

The snake-like voice burned in Harry's mind. He grabbed at his head, shaking it in a vain attempt to rid himself of the haunting voice.

"Harry? Harry! Are you alright?" Hermione quickly jumped off the bed and ran to Harry's aid. "Harry, please, say something!"

"It's burning!" Harry cried out, his body squirming and sliding off the bed. He kicked at nothing and clenched his teeth in blinding pain.

"What's going on?" Draco kneeled beside Harry, oblivious to the pain the boy was going through. Never had he seen Harry like this, in such physical and mental pain.

"His scar's hurting!" exclaimed Hermione, trying to calm him down.

_I can't kill you myself. The gap is too much even for me to do anything really damaging. But I can still amuse myself by hearing your cries of anguish. I truly enjoy it when you scream, Harry. Will you scream for me? _Voldemort taunted, cynically in Harry's head.

Harry gritted his teeth, using all his strength to not give Voldemort that satisfaction. He bore the pain until the voice in his head vanished as quickly as when it came.

Hermione helped Harry sit up, completely worried about him. "Are you alright?" she asked, her arm on his shoulder. "What happened?"

Harry rubbed his head, still able to faintly feel Voldemort's presence. He never wanted his friends to worry, but it seemed too late for that, "Voldemort's been talking to me."

"What?!" said Hermione, completely taken aback. "I don't understand. Voldemort from the future? How is that even possible?"

"I don't know," said Harry, truthfully, "And he can make my scar hurt whenever he wants."

"Magic shouldn't be able to be cast in different times. It's never been heard of," Hermione was thinking aloud to herself, mentally noting to search the library later.

"What did he say?" asked Draco, his face even more pale if possible.

"He knows that we're plotting against Tom and that we shouldn't bother…and that if he can't kill me, he'll get Tom to do it…" said Harry, hearing the words repeat themselves as if Voldemort were still somehow there.

"And he's done this before?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah, he usually says the same thing and then I…" Harry felt embarrassed saying it, "…then I usually faint."

"The fact you didn't this time must mean that he's having trouble casting magic through time," pondered Hermione.

"Well, it didn't _feel_ like he was having much trouble," Harry rubbed his scar with the back of his hand, "I could hear his voice so clearly, as if he was right here."

Hermione brought a finger to her lip, falling into deep thought. She burrowed her brows in deep concentration and focused on nothing in particular for the longest time. "Do you remember when you had that dream of Nagini attacking Mr. Weasley in the Ministry of Magic?" asked Hermione and Harry nodded. "Well, it was actually Voldemort who was possessing Nagini and it was his mind that you penetrated that night, right?" again, Harry nodded, watching as Hermione got on her feet and began to pace, "You two share some sort of link that links your minds together. You _should _be able to get into his mind the same way he's getting into yours."

"How?" he asked, skeptically, not sure if he enjoyed the thought of purposefully peeking into Voldemort's mind.

"I don't know…" said Hermione, falling again on her knees, "But there must be some way…I can do some research, I suppose," she added it to the top of her mental list.

"I don't quite understand the situation with Harry's scar," said Draco, his eyes occasionally wandering to the object in question, "But we're trapped in here until one of the professors lets us out."

That fact falling on them, Hermione sighed and turned to Harry, "He's right. Nothing can be done in our current situation, which greatly hinders any chance of getting to Tom before the teachers find him. He doesn't know that Hagrid's been accused or that he is supposed to prosecute him. If anyone else finds him first, Tom could be sent to Azkaban." She paused and laughed at the irony, "Wow, I never thought I would say that."

That being said and done, Draco began to smile menacingly. "Well, Harry," Draco was crawling over Harry on all fours, "Since we're stuck in here for what may be awhile…" he leaned closer, "…we should find something to do."

Harry quickly got on his feet, out of Draco's grasp, and started laughing. "I take it back," he said with a chuckle.

"What?"

"You're _exactly _like your great-uncle," said Harry with a smirk.

Draco crept towards Harry, getting on his feet and eye level with Harry. His blond hair hid those mystic grey eyes of his, dimming their effect until they were face-to-face. The simmering pools of silver reminded Harry of Dumbledore's Pensieve, a basin of glowing beauty. And like the Pensieve, Harry felt like he could fall into the endlessness of Draco's gaze. He knew Draco had been the most sought Slytherin of their time, but this was the first time he could agree with everyone else, no matter how much he wanted to deny it.

The emerald orbs that stared back at him sent chills through Draco. They were beautiful when not filled with hate and anger, he thought. So accustomed was Draco with having the boy hurl insults at him that he almost thought Harry would jinx him any second for kicks. But no such thing occurred, making Draco believe that he could be dreaming and he would wake up any moment in the Ravenclaw House with his strange roommates.

But Draco Malfoy was away from all the people who forced him to keep up a façade. Now, he could be with _the _Harry Potter without having to insult him. He could act upon these strange, adolescent feelings without worry or regret, wanting to satisfy the hunger he felt when around The-Boy-Who-Lived. Being in a room alone with him, Draco thought about what he wanted to do first, an appetizer for his hunger.

"And another thing," But he wasn't alone, not with Hermione Granger locked up with them as well, "I don't think that _that _is a wise idea, Harry." She gave Draco a dirty look and stood in between the two boys and faced Harry, looking him straight in the eye, "I don't mind your sexuality, Harry, I really don't. In fact, you have my full support with any decision you make," she hesitated, "It's just that…I don't know if I can fully comprehend this relationship with Tom."

"I'm not sure I understand it either," replied Harry, truthfully.

"I just wanted you to know that." She then turned to Draco, "I really think you've changed, Draco. Actually, it's more like you can be yourself. I watched you when you first came and you were a completely different person without Crabbe and Goyle around. But I've seen you with your roommates, Lawrence and Clay," Harry caught the faintest traces of a blush on Draco, "And I advice you both that if Tom were to see anyone with Harry besides himself, his trust in Harry would be lost completely as well as his trust in everyone else," Hermione tilted her head to see the 'Lost Trust', "Repressing the growth of Voldemort lies in Tom's relationship with Harry." This time however, Hermione didn't laugh at the cruel irony.

-+-+-+-+-+-

Tom couldn't remember much about the Chamber's opening. Everything leading up to it seemed like a distant illusion that was never real. The event replayed endlessly in his mind, refusing to let him forget.

When Tom had finally found the Chamber of Secrets, there was no explaining the feelings of triumph and victory he had felt. He had located the creation of his ancestor, a final means of ridding the school of those not worthy to practice the mystic art of magic. The creature left behind was his to control. But Tom's eagerness had gotten in the way. There was no hesitation when Tom first ran to the bathroom to find the Chamber and there was no struggle when opening it…except for Sebastian's interference.

That part of his memory was the most clear in Tom's mind. He could still remember the exact words exchanged and Tom regretted every single one of them.

"_You can't kill Muggle-borns, Tom!"_

"_They don't deserve it! Not like I do." _

Tom didn't want to relive it, but his mind continued to repeat the event. He could clearly remember saying that it was Harry who had told him about the Chamber.

"_Harry wouldn't do that. He wouldn't help you kill innocent Muggles!"_

"_He would do anything for me…He loves me." _

Saying those words came more of a shock to Tom than anyone else. He didn't even know if they were true, but he was so sure at the time that they were. Now, if Harry ever found out what he had done, Tom would be left with nobody…again.

"_You tricked him! You don't love him, Tom!"_

"_Don't call me 'Tom' anymore…I am Lord Voldemort."_

Tom still couldn't believe how perfect of an anagram his name was. Every letter seemed to have been chosen to describe him as a powerful and feared wizard. He had always hated the name of his Muggle father and found this anagram while writing in the diary Sebastian had given him on Christmas. That was all he had left of the Australian wizard now: a diary. That and his transfigured body that Tom held close to him as his memory continued to pass.

The rest seemed to happen in a cruel slow motion.

He had raised his wand at Sebastian, a spell on his tongue. Tom didn't know what spell to cast, so he chose the one he had created; the one that he had never used before.

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

A stream of green light had shot out, its effects unknown until it impacted with Sebastian's still smiling face. Tom could it see it perfectly, every detail of Sebastian's visage; the twinkling brown eyes that didn't resist and the smile of acceptance. Sebastian could have become something great, but Tom had ended all that with one, untested spell. The boy's body had fallen backwards, his eyes still staring at Tom through death. He couldn't bear looking at him, so he had flicked Sebastian's head the other way.

There hadn't been anytime to mourn because of Myrtle. The rest was a quick blur in Tom's mind that couldn't focus clearly. He could vaguely recall summoning the Basilisk to attack, an explosion of smoke that had come from one of the other stalls, footsteps running away…

Myrtle had not been the only person there. Someone else had heard and seen everything. There was no way Tom could get away with this. He would be expelled, sent back home to that godforsaken orphanage, or worse. It was all over. Everything Tom had accomplished—his reputation, his abilities—it was all being taken away from him because of one moment of selfishness.

It all hit Tom like an endless stunning spell. Nothing would be the same after this. Everything would change, including him. How could things not after what he had just done?

Nagini circled around his feet, "_Someone's following you." _Tom didn't know why or how Nagini had found him, but he was grateful for her serpent senses. "_It's the blond boy."_

Tom nodded, taking his mind away from wanting to give Sebastian a proper burial, but there was no time. Tucking Sebastian's book-form into his bag Tom made his self open to the person who had been following him. Tom stood half-hidden behind a mountain of books in the library and Xavier cautiously walked towards him.

Xavier saw the book in Tom's bag and lowered his head down, covering his eyes with his long, blond hair. Tom could hear a few sobs from the blond and saw droplets of water hit the carpeted floor. Xavier hugged Tom, crying into his shoulder. Tom wanted to cry too, but found that he couldn't. Time was running short and there was very little to waste. He let Xavier cry out his feelings and spoke softly in the boy's ear.

"We can't stay long," he whispered, "Someone will be looking for us soon." He waited for Xavier to nod his head before going on, "Don't ever forget him."

Xavier held tighter onto Tom, wanting nothing more than to go back in time and change everything, "I won't."

"Everyone will know about the girl, but they still don't know about Sebastian," he paused, still thinking things through, "Do you love me, Xavier?"

Xavier stopped crying for a moment and looked at Tom, "Yes."

"Then you must do something for me, Xavier. Harry doesn't know about any of this, but when he finds out, I don't know what may happen. You have to do this so that he never finds out."

Without hesitation, Xavier nodded and took hold of that book that was being handed to him.

"Take care of him," said Tom, reluctantly letting go of what was once Sebastian Chaud.

* * *

I had to rewrite this chapter three times before I liked it. I really hope you all liked it because it took me awhile to write. But it's all about quality, not quantity. But I say that having a lot more to read and to look forward to is also good. I didn't want to include Tom until the next chapter, but I realized that he hadn't been in the story for awhile, so I gave him that little thingy at the end. Remember, in the future there is no Sebastian Chaud or mention of Xavier Malfoy. You know why Sebastian isn't there; now discover how Xavier is taken out of the picture too. I'm excited now xD 


	17. Escape

**Tempus Inconcessus**

_Chapter 16 – Escape_

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Harry Potter and etc.

**Warning: **This chapter contains stuff and stuff…

**Author's Note: **Alright, I'm still alive people and am SUPER sorry for not having updated in a very long time. I know I know, I'm a bitch. I could give you a bunch of excuses like how it was my senior year, I was applying to colleges, my computer crashed and destroy everything I wrote so I had to start this chapter from scratch, I came out to my parents and got kicked out for a few months, and I had to get a job as a phlebotomist to survive….but I won't give you those excuses because I know you guys don't want to hear them. Without further ado here's this chapter that I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Nagini slithered around Tom's legs, circling herself around the young Dark Lord. His body was warm for her cold blood, circulating heat throughout her body, giving her the energy to climb around his neck. She could feel his pulse coming from his neck in slow beats. He was thinking.

What thoughts were going through her master's head, Nagini had no clue. She was born to follow and obey Tom without question; much like the people he called his "friends." It amused her to see her master abuse the power he held over people; the natural beauty and raw power that had been bestowed upon him since birth was used as a weapon against everyone. Nagini hissed affectionately, loving her master.

"_How did you get out?" _Tom asked, remaining hidden deep in the library. Xavier had been sent away to perform his task and Tom needed to outcast himself from everyone until it was complete.

"_The blond boy freed me," _Nagini wrapped her slender body around Tom's neck, careful not to strangle him. _"He sensed what you were going to do with the Australian boy and didn't want you to feel lonely."_

Tom scoffed and crossed his arms. It was both amusing and annoying how people misunderstood his needs. Now why would Xavier think he would feel lonely? Tom chuckled to himself. He preferred being left alone in solitude. The company of others was troublesome and forced him to keep up a façade that Tom was growing bored of. But after this ordeal, if everyone knew that he was behind the Chamber's opening, he wouldn't need to keep up that façade. People would see him as an evil being. _They don't understand,_ he thought, glaring accusingly at nothing in particular.

_No one understands, _he repeated. His mind flashed a quick image of Harry, _What about Harry? He understands you._

_Then why did he lie? If he knew me at all, he'd know I hate being lied to. _

_You lie to him all the time. _

Tom was fighting against the remnants of a conscience. Already he could feel his mind being split into two conflicting sides.

_That's different! I never lied about being from a different time!_

_Why should that matter? He helped you find the Chamber…_

_I know…but it does matter. If he's lying about where he's from, what else could he be hiding?_

"_I don't like secrets." _

Nagini turned to her master, unsure of why the comment had suddenly been said. _"I would never keep anything from you, my Lord." _

Tom gazed at the serpent around his neck, having forgotten her presence there. He caressed Nagini's body affectionately, content with another follower.

-+-+-+-+-+-

The fireplace flickered dimly, its flames retreating back into smoldering ashes. As the last flames died away, the room was filled with nothing more than a beam of moonlight. There was a draft coming from the open window which Harry stared pensively out of. His shadow was cast on the carpeted floor, nothing more than a silhouette of his thoughts. It was rare for Harry to see a night as clear as this. The chance to just gaze out into the distance had never approached Harry before, but he was making up for it now.

Harry had resisted his insomnia at first before finally accepting it. Too much was swirling in his mind that sleep seemed more like a necessity than a desire. Now that Harry had given in to his awakening, he could think clearly.

Carefully propping himself on the window sill, Harry held a crystal ball in his hands. He thought about who he wanted to see and whispered the name, "Tom Riddle."

Enigmatically, the crystal ball filled with dark clouds that twirled and danced before softening. As the clouds cleared, Harry could see the distorted image of his supposed boyfriend. The many protective spells recently placed upon the castle were interfering with Harry's crystal ball, making Tom's image vague and blurred. Despite the fuzziness, Harry could still recognize the handsome beauty Tom was known for.

There was a blacked out figure wrapped around Tom's neck; a result of the limitations of the crystal ball. Recalling Nagini's absence, he deduced that it was she who embraced Tom so possessively.

It was difficult to tell where Tom was. His surroundings were even more distorted than his figure, appearing as a warped mixture of colors. Wherever Tom was, Harry was just relieved to see he was safe. No one seemed to have found him yet so there was still a chance to reach him and tell him about Hagrid's framing.

Harry stared at Tom's blurred image awhile longer, nostalgic for the wizard's presence. He thought about their first kiss which made him blush beneath the moonlight. There were many times when Tom made Harry feel like he wasn't out of place in this time and Harry tried to remember them. But those thoughts didn't come quite as easily. Whenever the memory of an embrace or touch filled Harry with a sense of longing, the memory would shift to Tom standing over Sebastian's limp body.

Harry must have said the Australian wizard's name aloud because the crystal ball began to fog up again. Tom's image disappeared behind the thick clouds, his look of anxiousness vanishing with him. The crystal ball clearing, Sebastian's transfigured body became clear and haunting. A blacked out arm was holding Sebastian's book-form, swaying as the person walked hastily. Harry didn't see Tom holding a book before, so then Harry quickly called out another person's name, "Xavier Malfoy."

The picture spread out and the blacked-out arm holding Sebastian became pale. Harry could see Xavier in a distorted area, his blond hair flowing behind him. Though Harry had no idea where the blond was, he was just glad that he was safe. Xavier's sudden disappearance since the Chamber had been open was actually more disturbing than Harry thought. If all the students were confined to their Houses, then Xavier wasn't safe roaming around Hogwarts. Someone would surely find him soon as well as the book he carried. Harry didn't know what he'd do if he lost another friend.

Two days had passed since the Chamber's opening, and two days had passed since Harry was first confined to his room with Hermione and Draco.

Things had changed between Harry and Hermione, but how could he blame her? She was brought to this time without any intention of coming because of Harry. She fought all morals to do what was logical in order to keep the timeline in check. And she did this right after Ron died at the hands of the person Harry was now romantically involved with. No wonder she didn't want to hear about his relationship with Tom. She probably hated Tom and everything about him even if she didn't show it openly. Even the plan they made for Harry to still be with Tom must have been a struggle for Hermione to go along with. He couldn't see it before, but Hermione was doing everything in her power to not breakdown.

When she was sleeping, it was different.

Harry left the window sill and loomed over Hermione's sleeping figure. She lay on her side, clutching her pillow tightly and whispering Ron's name with urgency. Her eyes clenched shut and her forehead shined with sweat. There was no more control and all the emotions that were kept bottled up were being released. She tossed in her bed, her cheeks unknowingly wet. Harry couldn't watch anymore; it was troubling and filled Harry with incredible guilt.

This was all his fault. If only he hadn't cast the Tempus Inconcessus. If only he hadn't fallen under Tom's spell. If only he had never allowed Ron and Hermione to help him destroy the horcruxes. There were too many 'ifs' that could have prevented any of this from happening. But thinking about what _could_ have happened wouldn't help anyone.

Harry sat on the floor, basking in the moonlight and rolling the crystal ball back and forth. He could hear Hermione's soft whimpers, tugging at his conscience. Her cries were unbearable so Harry cast a Silence Charm on her, masking the sounds but not her shaking.

On the other side of room, Draco was breathing softly. The sound wasn't annoying; it was actually quite comforting; a white noise that calmed Harry. He closed his eyes, still rolling the crystal ball, and just listened. The sound of night was soothing, a sound that was almost silence. There was an owl hooting off in the distance; he could hear the wind blowing the trees from the Forbidden Forest; and there were Draco's quiet breaths. Together they created a euphonious wave of relief.

Harry slowly fell on his back, outstretching his legs and letting the ball roll away. The mixture of sounds was pulling Harry into a sleep he desperately needed until the ball made a _thump_ as it hit the foot of Draco's bed. Harry was on the edge of sleep when he heard stirring coming from Draco's bed.

"Harry? Is that you?" called Draco, half-asleep. He was sitting in his bed, rubbing his eyes, his head inclined to Harry's fallen figure on the floor.

There was no point in lying or feigning sleep, so Harry half-sat up, "Yeah. Can't sleep."

Harry could hear Draco shuffling out of bed, tossing the covers to the side. Draco's bare feet made soft sounds on the floor as he came closer to Harry. He knelt beside the young wizard, tense. "I know the feeling. I had horrible insomnia when I first came here." Harry relaxed a little, still unable to be completely unstressed with Draco beside him. "Whenever I tried to sleep, I would just stare up at the ceiling for hours, thinking."

Harry could see Draco's outline staring up at ceiling, staring at the "Lost Trust" despite the darkness.

"About what?"

Draco shrugged, "School, my parents…Voldemort." The air around them seemed to tense at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. "How Voldemort is still rampaging in the future and I'm stuck here unable to do anything. How he kills for the mere thrill of it. How he can expel his followers without a care. How he could just send me back in time to do his dirty work, knowing that I have no way of going back," he paused, "How anyone could possibly love him," he added bitterly.

Harry knew that the question was directed at him. "In all honesty, I really don't know. He's different here." Draco scoffed but Harry ignored it, "You wouldn't understand. Even _I_ don't fully understand how all this happened. I came here because I wanted to save Ron and—"

"Weasly?" Draco tilted his head towards Harry, watching him out of the corner of his eye. "Where is he? Both you and Granger talk of saving him, but neither of you have said from what. Actually, I don't even know why you two are even here."

So much had happened that Draco didn't have time to consider anything before. But now that things had eased down, thoughts and questions were pouring in. The severity of everything was sinking in and he demanded answers.

So for the rest of the night, Harry told the tale of Ron's death. He told Draco about the horcruxes and what happened at Spinner's End. He had to pause for a bit, struggling with telling about Ron's courageous risk to touch the horcrux only to find a piece of Voldemort come to life. He relived the horrible event which was imprinted into his mind. Harry wanted to forget it, but at the same time, he didn't. Although it was a tragic memory of the loss of his best friend, it was also his final memory of Ron.

Draco had listened to Harry, not saying anything even when the other wizard didn't want to go on. But Harry eventually did go on with his story and spoke of his arrival at Hogwarts and meeting with Sebastian, Xavier, and Tom. It was nice hearing Harry talk so fondly of Sebastian. It seemed to Draco that Harry had a lot of respect for the young, Tom-like prodigy. Draco held back comments and grimaces when Harry talked about Tom.

As the story continued, Draco noticed that the two of them had moved quite close. Harry wasn't paying much attention, telling his story at the painting above. But Draco realized that he was using Harry's arm as a pillow and Harry was unknowingly stroking Draco's back, tracing the boy's spine with his fingers. The platinum-blond could feel the pulse in Harry's arm and feel the breath come out of his mouth with each word.

Their position became more intimate when Harry began talking about Xavier. He found himself laughing many times at the crazy antics the blond had done.

Hearing about an unknown ancestor in such a fond way broke whatever barrier separated the two. Draco placed his arm across Harry's chest, fully aware of what he was doing. Harry seemed to pause and tense a bit, finally noticing just how close they were, but he went on anyway.

Before either of them realized, the pale moonlight was disappearing and the first red rays of the sunrise were streaming through the window glass. Neither made any attempt at pulling apart. The night was done and Harry felt a weight lift off his shoulders after telling someone everything, even if that someone was Draco Malfoy. No, before that would have seemed like a horrible mistake; an impossibility. But now, Harry was grateful for having Draco there and for having him listen.

In one night it seemed as if the feud they had in their past had been overcome. No longer were they the Boy-Who-Lived and a Malfoy pure-blood. They were Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy—two people in a time when neither is known. They didn't have to live up to any expectations or fulfill any roles. Harry and Draco shared that in common and understood one another more because of it. Both silently acknowledged that, but there was still a bit of confusion lingering between them.

"I didn't know you were into guys," said Harry.

"I could say the same for you."

"I'm not, well, I don't think I am, I think." Harry scrunched his nose.

Draco laughed at him, "You sound very sure," he teased.

"Well, what about you?"

"Never fancied girls. Too clingy," he said simply.

"Really? What about Pansy?" asked Harry, a bit surprised to know this unknown tidbit about the blond.

Draco made a face of utter disgust that made Harry laugh, "She was the worst of the lot! Honestly, could you really see someone like me with her? I could do much better if I wanted."

"Did anyone know?"

Draco shook his head, "It wasn't anyone's business really. But it wasn't as if I was ashamed of it. I was just tagged as a lady's man and never really denied it. Worked to my advantage I suppose; it kept Lucius at bay when he was worried about me finding a bride in order to produce an heir. I would always reject suitors, which probably made him suspicious, but he heard tales of my faux sexual escapades at Hogwarts. Honestly, the rubbish people made up. Did you know that I'm apparently the best lover at Hogwarts, because I sure didn't, though I must admit it wasn't a bad reputation to have."

Harry gave a soft laugh at that, noticing the teasing smile Draco was giving him. His chest vibrated with another chuckle, giving Draco chills. The two were dangerously close now. Draco could feel Harry's heartbeat rapidly increasing as his was. They were quiet, just looking at each other. Neither would have ever thought themselves to be in this situation with each other. It felt like an almost twisted act of fate.

Draco carefully tilted his head upwards, his lips just a breath apart from Harry's. He just stared at Harry's mouth, remembering every detail about them: how wet they suddenly seemed to be, how they were barely parted as if asking someone to seal them.

He leaned forward, taking in the moment. Harry showed no attempt of backing away. So close—they were so close now. Just to have a taste of Harry Potter…

An unseen force hurled Harry as far from Draco as possible and into the opposite wall. There was a loud _thud_ as Harry's body hit the wall hard and fell to the floor. After recovering and adjusting his glasses, Harry searched for the cause, wand at the ready.

Hermione sat on her bad, wand still pointing at where Harry had been. Draco scowled at her, resenting her for ruining the moment he had almost shared with Harry. His glare was returned tenfold and he backed away from her, checking to see if Harry was alright.

"What'd you do that for?" said Harry. He was rubbing his back, able to feel where a bruise would later form on his shoulder.

Hermione made an attempt to speak but no sound came out of her. She gave Harry a knowing look and crossed her arms.

Having completely forgotten about the Silence Charm he had put on her earlier, Harry quickly lifted the spell.

"What are you two thinking?" scolded Hermione, "I told you not to do anything. You both must understand that everything relies on Harry's relationship with Tom." The look of disappointment she was giving Harry was enough to make him apologize and sit beside her, away from Draco.

The platinum-blond wizard sat crossed arm against the wall that Harry had hit, annoyed at having been so close to a kiss with Harry only to be interrupted. Just thinking about what had almost happened tinted his pale skin with rouge flush. Excusing himself, Draco went into the bathroom to take a shower—a cold shower.

Once he was out of the room Hermione gave Harry a stern look.

"What?" said Harry.

"I think you're finally entering puberty."

"What?" Harry repeated. "That began years ago! Look, I have some facial hair." He pointed at his chin where a few hairs were growing, but it took Hermione awhile before she could actually see them.

"That's not what I meant. I was referring to your hormones."

"Oh."

"Have you and Tom…?" Hermione couldn't finish her question; she was just too shy.

Harry stared dumbly at her before it dawned on him what she was implying, "Hermione! That's kind of personal…" All of sudden, Harry Potter felt embarrassed and his cheeks were burning. Then, he shook his head, thinking words not suitable for this sort of conversation.

Hermione was relieved that the relationship hadn't been taken as far as she thought. She leaned forward and reached for something from under the bed.

"What're you doing?"

She grunted as she leaned farther over the bed without falling off and pulled out one of her textbooks. "If we're going to be stuck in here might as well do something productive, right?"

Harry chuckled and Hermione beamed at him before opening up the book.

"You haven't changed a bit," said Harry, watching her study.

Meanwhile, Draco was running his hands through his hair, eyes closed and water beating against his face and body. He lathered his body with soap, covering his pale skin with suds. The cold water did little to soothe him, but it did rid him of the ache between his legs.

He had been so close! Just a few more centimeters and he would have been kissing Harry, a feat that he hadn't thought possible in his time period. Without everyone who controlled Draco's mind, he was free to express and fulfill a deep desire. He would no longer act as his father's puppet and would think for himself. Years of being told what to do, how to act, how to dress, who to like—it was just too much! Draco had had enough and was finally going to do what _he_ wanted.

No more Death Eaters, no more Lucius, no more Slytherins! Draco felt—dare he think it—free.

Turning off the water, Draco reached for a towel and dried his self thoroughly. His dried his hair with warm air from his wand and wrapped the towel around his waist. Despite Hermione's efforts to keep them separated, Draco was determined to at least get a taste of Harry. Tom and Harry could continue their odd relationship and Draco would be satisfied…for the time being at least.

Outside he saw Hermione flipping through pages of some book and scribbling something on a length of parchment. Harry was sitting on his bed trying to do the same, but he just seemed to be staring blankly at the book in front of him. Draco's lips curled into a smirk and he took this chance to strike. Tip-toeing towards the green-eyed wizard, Draco was able to sit beside him without being noticed by Hermione. Harry nearly squeaked when Draco suddenly appeared beside him though.

"Shush, Potter!" Draco scolded, checking over to see if Hermione had heard.

"You're in a towel," Harry couldn't help pointing out.

"Yes, most people use a towel after getting out of the shower. I believe it's to dry their bodies, but I'm not quite sure how the mechanics work," mocked Draco.

"I know that! I meant _why _are you still wearing a towel?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Potter, I didn't know that it was bothering you. I'll just take it off then," Draco slowly began to remove his towel, enjoying how Harry's eyes were widening with surprise. But before he could completely expose himself Harry grabbed his towel, stopping Draco's advance.

"What're you doing?" Harry whispered harshly, glancing over to Hermione to see if she was watching them. Thankfully, she still seemed in deep concentration. He turned back to Draco and said, "You know that I'm with Tom. Nothing can happen between us."

Draco scoffed and turned away, "Honestly, I still don't understand what you see in him."

Harry sighed, "I told you already. It's complicated."

"He killed his best friend!" Draco suddenly yelled causing Harry to flinch and for Hermione to put her book down.

Harry stared at the floor, his hair falling over his eyes. For awhile, nobody said a word but Harry finally said, "I know. And I could've stopped him," Draco raised a brow, "If only I had seen the signs. They were so obvious now that I look back. I knew all of this was going to happen but I did nothing to prevent it!"

"Harry, this was supposed to happen. There was nothing you could have done," said Hermione softly.

"I could've changed him! He doesn't have to turn into Lord Voldemort!"

"He doesn't have to. We couldn't stop the Chamber of Secrets from being opened, but you've already changed some courses of the future. Your relationship with Tom never occurred in history until now. It can be the key to solving all of this." Hermione was doing her best to sound reassuring. As an afterthought she added, "I wonder how long they're going to keep us locked up in here."

Harry shrugged. "I hope they haven't found Tom," he added.

Draco rolled his eyes and went back into the bathroom to change. It truly was irritating how Harry could only think about Tom and Draco was getting sick of it. He changed back into his clothes and fixed his hair before going back outside. He avoided Harry, angry with him at the moment, and took a seat on Xavier's bed.

He let out a groan before falling on his back onto the soft cushions. Hands behind his head, Draco let out a long sigh and just stared at the fading mural above.

Harry tried to go back to studying, but kept on peeking over to Draco and eyeing the skin that was exposed on his midriff. When Draco raised his hands behind his head, Harry could see the pale skin that lay beneath the boy's shirt, looking completely untouched and flawless. He half-hoped that Draco would stretch his arms farther so that his shirt could move higher and expose more skin. But he blinked the thought away once he realized what he was thinking. His nostalgia for Tom was getting the better of him.

He turned back to his book, the words going right past him. When he read the same sentence five times, Harry gave up and shut the book. Instead, he pulled out his wand to distract himself. With a light flick, Harry practiced nonverbal spells, trying to levitate his book. Hermione glanced over at him approvingly before deciding to do the same.

Harry's book hovered a few feet from the bed and moved on to Summoning Charms. He silently called for his shoes, the book, and then for the crystal ball. When the ball came to him it was impossible to resist using it. He needed to see Tom, to make sure that he hadn't been found yet and was alright. He whispered the wizard's name and waited.

The clouded crystal ball cleared and Harry found himself staring at Tom. Nagini's blacked out body was around his neck still, but was shifting with Tom's shoulders. Tom was walking—no, running—somewhere with a distracted look on his face. His lips were moving rapidly in what Harry guessed to be Parseltongue. Nagini's head lifted as she responded and Tom stopped moving.

Worried, Harry watched intensely as Tom glanced to his left and then to his right before moving into a jog. There was no way of telling where Tom was going or where he even was, but Harry desperately wanted to know.

Staying cramped up in this room wasn't accomplishing anything. Harry was growing restless and worried. Pointing his wand at the door he said, "_Alohomora!_"

Of course, nothing happened. The door was magically sealed with a strange magic—either Dippet or Dumbledore's doing. Still, that didn't stop Harry.

Getting up, he stepped right in front of the door and continued to say, "_Alohomora!_" until he angrily kicked the door. Hermione and Draco were now watching Harry, confused to the boy's sudden outburst. But then Hermione was right beside Harry, wand at the ready. With a reassuring smile and a nod she chanted, "_Alohomora!_"

Draco scoffed at their attempts at first, but begrudgingly pulled his wand out. The three wizards aimed their wands at the sealed door and chanted in unison.

There was an unlocking sound and the three wizards stared at each other in disbelief, neither believing that their attempt had actually worked. Hermione made a quizzical look, not really sure if their magic could really be combined like that. Harry was celebrating inside and hurriedly went for the knob, stopping abruptly when the knob began turning on its own.

With a panicked heart, Harry quickly backed away and pushed the others away. They all jumped onto their beds and pulled out a random book, shoving their faces into its pages. They all looked up when they saw Professor Slughorn enter with a solemn face.

It was obvious the wizard hadn't gotten any sleep. Another crease seemed to be added to his brow and the bags under his eyes were heavy with weariness. His robes were the same from when they last saw him but they were more wrinkled now. The belly that had made him seem almost jolly was now growling out, making it apparent that Professor Slughorn hadn't eaten as well. The three wizards could only assume that the other professors were in the same state if not worse.

Slughorn motioned for the wizards to come forward. The three abandoned their books and stood before the older wizard. Their was no way to describe the immense curiosity they all had, wondering what was being done while they were trapped in their little room.

Professor Slughorn let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes in a vain attempt to appear more awake, "This is surely Hogwarts' darkest time. No one seems to be able to find Rubeus Hagrid or Tom Riddle," Harry let out a sigh of relief at hearing that Tom hadn't been found yet, "and Sebastian Chaud is also missing as well as Xavier Malfoy. Other students have been found roaming the halls out of confusion and curiosity, but they have all been sent back to their rooms. But we just cannot find those four. Do either of you know where they may be?" The look Slughorn gave them was desperate. He was pleading with them, just wanting for this nightmarish chapter in Hogwarts to end.

But how could they answer? They wanted this to end just as much as Slughorn, but neither of them knew the whereabouts of anyone. They merely shook their heads and Slughorn dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief in disappointment.

"Very well, then the other professors and I shall continue our search." Slughorn turned his back to them and began walking out.

"Professor, wait!" He turned back and faced Hermione who had called his name. "I believe I know a way to find Tom. Please, follow me."

Harry lifted an eyebrow, unsure of where Hermione was going with this. She led Professor Slughorn to the empty aquarium that used to house Nagini. As she was explaining some strange method of tracking the snake that may lead them to Tom, she looked back and Harry and then at the door that was no longer guarded.

Understanding immediately, Harry crept towards the door. Draco made a movement as if he wanted to follow, but Harry stopped him with a look. He needed to go alone. It was easier to get around the castle by his self and the chances of being found were less likely. Draco glared at Harry but conceded, instead going to give Hermione aid in distracting the Professor.

Harry dawned on the Invisibility Cloak and slipped outside, going through the first secret passage he saw in search of Tom Riddle.

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Hogwarts was like a graveyard. The feeling of death was in the air and it wasn't caused by the ghosts who had vanished mysteriously. Even the portraits were gone, leaving behind empty frames and backdrops. It was as if Hogwarts was abandoned, and Tom was the only person left. But he knew that that wasn't true thus fueling his paranoia at every corner. It wasn't enough that Sebastian was dead, but now everyone was looking for him. A couple times did a professor tread to close to his hiding place. It was after Tom saw Professor Slughorn pass him did Tom decide that his hiding spot was not safe. Whispering in Parseltongue, he told Nagini to slither along the floor.

Being the obedient serpent she was, she slithered down from her place around Tom's neck. The floor was cold against her scales, but her blood adjusted to the change in temperature allowing her to focus on a different sensation.

Sudden vibrations pierced her body, giving her more insight on her surroundings than any eye could. Tom followed a few feet behind her, the echoes of his footsteps flowing through her. She led him to a fork and paused. Footsteps; at least fifty feet to the right. She led him on the left path, slithering faster knowing that Tom would keep up.

Without Tom having to tell her, Nagini knew where he wanted to go. Obviously not back to the Slytherin dungeons; that'd be the first place where people would look. Leaving Hogwarts wasn't an option either. Not only would he look guilty leaving Hogwarts, but the chances that he'd be able to get past all the wards Dippet and the other professors surely put up around the castle were slim. Remaining hidden was no longer safe either. No, Tom would be safer if they left now and reached that invisible room.

Though the Silence Charm Tom placed on his feet rid them of any noise, Nagini could still feel him following. She could also sense how anxious Tom was, so she hurried up the flight of stairs and led him down another corridor when she felt footsteps too close for comfort. She could still feel them behind her, so she turned at the next corner. Another turn followed and another.

"_Where are you going?"_ Tom demanded after realizing that Nagini was leading him in a circle.

"_Someone...I don't know if they're following us or coincidentally going in the same direction, but—"_

"_There are no coincidences,_" Tom cut her off, lowering his head in an attempt to see an followers, _"Hurry to the room,_" ordered Tom, casually putting his hands in his pockets where his wand was. He tried not to seem too rushed, but it was difficult to keep a cool persona when Nagini would flinch every few seconds from the second pair of footsteps.

Even when they reached the floor where the Room of Requirement was, Nagini could feel the other person following. The other person was close enough now that they would be able to hear Tom and Nagini, so neither dared to hiss a word. Even Tom could feel the other person's presence now, but then why couldn't he see them?

Just then, Nagini froze in place causing Tom to do the same. The presence was right beside Tom for the smallest of moments but it might as well have been an eternity. The magic that past him was so familiar that it would have been impossible not to have recognized it. The door to the Room of Requirement appeared and opened on its own, calling to Tom. Knowing what lay on the other side, Tom entered.

-+-+-+-+-+-

It was different than the last time he had been inside. The massive hourglasses filled with black sand weren't there and neither was the Pensieve that had shown him how to open the Chamber. Instead, Tom found a little room, similar to the Common room. There were two plush chairs with Cushioning charms and a lit fireplace that gave off no smoke. The room looked incredibly ordinary, not what Tom had expected, though that was what shocked him the least.

There was a stab in Tom's chest; an incredibly new sensation for him that wasn't caused by any spell but by the sight of Harry James Potter. Having those green eyes look at him like that, Tom didn't know what to feel. Harry's face showed nothing, his expression hidden under a mask that Tom could see he struggled with. But the eyes gave everything away: fear, desperation, urgency, relief, nostalgia…and hatred. Another emotion accompanied the hatred too; not love, but something fighting the contempt that Harry was forcing himself to feel.

The Invisibility Cloak Sebastian had give Harry for Christmas dangled over the armrest. Tom connected the invisible presence he felt before and the cloak. The other chair looked inviting, but Tom couldn't seem to force his legs to move. To anyone else, Tom would have looked intimidating just standing there, as if he refused to sit down. And though his face didn't betray what he really felt, he knew his eyes did.

Whoever spoke up first would be in charge of what would happen next. They would have control over the conversation and be able to direct it. If Tom had any hope of convincing Harry that opening the Chamber was necessary, then he would have to speak first.

"It's nice to see you again, Tom."

Bollocks. Harry beat him to it. If Tom wanted to turn this around then he'd have to not beat around the bushes. "What are you doing here?"

If Harry was offended by the blatant, upfront response, he didn't show it. "I know that you opened the Chamber of Secrets." Tom didn't flinch nor did he deny the accusation, but he did remain silent. "I'm here to help you."

It was at this that Tom allowed the faintest traces of confusion to appear. This wasn't what he had expected at all. He had expected Harry to yell, to scream, to tell him that what he had done was an abomination and that he should turn him in. Yes, help from Harry was the last thing he had expected.

"Why?"

Harry couldn't say that it was a convoluted plan made by his best friend and ex-rival in order to keep the time line in check, so Harry just ignored the question. He swallowed, "There's a boy, Rubeus Hagrid, who was keeping an Acromantula as a pet. He lost it around the same time you opened the Chamber…"

Tom caught on to what Harry was saying. "You want me to accuse this Rubeus of opening the Chamber. You want me to say that the beast from the Chamber of Secrets is an Acromantula."

Though Tom didn't say it, Harry knew what he was really feeling. Tom didn't want to go into hiding, to let everyone fail to know that he was the heir of Slytherin. This wasn't what he had in mind when he first opened the Chamber.

"All the teachers respect you and will believe you over him. You will be seen as the hero, as the person who saved Hogwarts."

"You don't care?"

Again, Harry ignored Tom. "You just need to say that you've been following Hagrid because he seemed shady, always disappearing for moments on end. It was through that suspicion that you uncovered what Hagrid's plan was and tried to stop him before he could release the monster from the Chamber of Secrets but you couldn't reach him in time. Now with one student already dead, you've come to realize that you can no longer do this on your own and just want him to be stopped before the monster attacks another fellow student."

Tom couldn't believe what Harry was saying. It was very unlike Harry. Was there more to the wizard from the future that Tom didn't know about? It was never difficult to figure people out, to pick up on the body language that told when they were lying or telling the truth. He could usually read a person like a book and even read between the lines, the words, or even the ink. What Tom had expected of Harry to say was just the opposite of what the wizard was telling him to do. Not that Tom had a problem with framing some unknown wizard, but getting the idea from Harry was what unsettled him.

The thought occurred to Tom that this was a trap. What if Harry was just saying all these things so Tom could come of hiding only to be caught by Dippet or Dumbledore? Would Harry do that to him?

Tom wasn't so sure what Harry would do anymore. Harry was a wizard from the future and had gotten away with that lie for so long without Tom even realizing it. For all Tom knew, Harry could have been sent back in time to kill him. Tom had no way of finding out. He had destroyed the room with Harry's Pensieve in a fit of rage, leaving the place in flames. Tom would have to figure out Harry's motives another way.

To gain more knowledge, Tom would have to remain close to Harry. He consented to the plan with the slightest of nods and finally found the strength to move his legs. Without a word, for fear that he would say something regrettable, Tom leaned forward to where Harry sat and kissed him.

_I will unmask you, Harry Potter, _Tom thought as his tongue slipped past Harry's lips.

Harry shuddered, but not from Tom's tongue. His scar prickled with the awful sensation he always feels whenever he hears Voldemort's voice in his head.

* * *

This story is getting harder for me to write because I know where I want to go with it, but it's just really hard. People still reviewing this story is really what got me to feel guilty and actually continue writing it, so I hope you enjoyed it and to continue reviewing so that I am more inspired to write because I honestly just write for you guys 'cause you guys just totally rock!

Erick


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